Mastering Poker Strategy – Basic and Advanced Playing Tips
Poker is a unique card game where skill, strategy and psychological ability can transform luck into a win. Whether you’re poker playing at a live table, in an online poker room, or even at a video poker machine, having a solid poker strategy can help you enjoy a more positive user experience.
No matter whether you’re a seasoned player or are just about to play your first game, you will find the best poker strategy for you by reading on. However, while some tips and strategies are designed for multi-player games, such as Texas Hold’em, others are better suited to other variants, such as three-card or video poker.
The Basic Poker Strategy That Every Player Should Know
All new players should familiarise themselves with the following poker basic strategy. This involves understanding hand rankings, betting rules, and knowing when to play or fold. A solid foundation in these areas will prepare you for more advanced tactics.
Poker Strategy Chart: Choosing the Right Starting Hands
A poker betting strategy chart can be a reliable companion as you learn the game. Such a chart can guide you on which hands to play from different positions at the table. Here is a simplified version:
| Position | Recommended Hands |
| Early | AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AK (suited), AQ (suited) |
| Middle | TT, 99, 88, AJs, KQs, AQo, AJo |
| Late | 77, 66, 55, ATs, KTs, QJs, JTs |
Using a reliable poker strategy ensures you’re not playing too many weak hands. This is one of the top tips for beginners and helps players avoid low or no value hands and focus on ones with a higher potential.
Poker Betting Strategy
Betting is where poker becomes truly strategic. A well-executed plan can force opponents to fold superior hands or maximise value when you have the best hand.
If, for example, you are holding a strong hand like an AA pre-flop, raise to build the pot. Post-flop, you should continue betting aggressively if the board, or community cards, are in your favour.
Positional Play
Position in Texas Hold’em and similar multiplayer variants is crucial because the later you act, the more information you have about your opponents’ actions. Playing in positions allows you to control the pot size and make more informed decisions.
| Position | Recommended Actions |
| Early | Since you’re first to act, play only the strongest hands to avoid difficult post-flop decisions. |
| Middle | You can loosen up slightly, especially if the action before you has been passive. |
| Late | You have the advantage of seeing how everyone else acts. This is where you can play a wider range of hands and apply pressure on your opponents. |
Intermediate Poker Strategy
Once you’ve understood how to play poker and have familiarised yourself with basic betting tips, it’s time to move on to more complex strategies.
Poker Tournament Strategy
Any successful tournament poker strategy requires you to make adjustments according to the changing dynamics as blinds increase and stacks diminish. Early in a tournament, it’s best to play conservatively and avoid unnecessary risks.
As you approach the money, use bluffing, raising, and other techniques to shift to a more aggressive approach to capitalise on tighter play from opponents.
It’s also important to consider poker rake when choosing which tournament to join. While the value of rake might seem insignificant at first, it can quickly add up if you participate in multiple competitions. However, even though lower-rake poker tournaments exist, you need to consider whether the pot size is worth your while since these games typically feature low stakes.
Handy Tip: Use an online poker tournament strategy that involves exploiting the stage just before the payouts, better known as the bubble, by pressuring short stacks with frequent raises.
Online Poker Strategy
Playing online, such as at top UK poker sites, requires a strategy that differs slightly from live play due to the speed of the game and the inability to read physical tells. Focus instead on betting patterns, timing tells, and using heads-up displays (HUDs) to track opponents’ tendencies.
Consider, for example, that during an online poker game, you notice a player frequently folding to 3-bets, you can exploit this by 3-betting more often with a wider range of hands.
Handy Tip: HUDs, 3-bets, and 3-betting are common poker terms that you’re likely to come across whilst playing at land-based casinos, in poker rooms, or online. It’s important to become familiar with this terminology to understand what is happening and how to make the most of a particular situation.
Bet Sizing
Proper bet sizing is critical to both protecting your hand and extracting maximum value. The size of your bets should be dictated by the strength of your hand, the structure of the board, and the tendencies of your opponents.
- Pre-Flop Raises: A standard raise of 2.5 to 3 times the big blind is typically recommended. This amount discourages weak hands from calling while still building the pot.
- Post-Flop Continuation Bets: Also known as C-Bets, these are continuation bets of between 50% and 70% of the pot and are particularly effective on dry boards where there are fewer draw possibilities.
- Value Betting: When you have a strong hand, bet an amount that your opponent is likely to call. Against weaker players, you can often bet large amounts to extract maximum value.
Using the poker strategy chart above, if you raise pre-flop with an AK and the flop comes K, 7, and 2, a c-bet of around 65% of the pot can help you protect your hand while still extracting value.
Handy Tip: Before attempting to implement effective bet sizing, ensure that you are familiar with basic gameplay and know how to play Texas Hold’em or the particular variant confidently. It’s important to adjust your bet sizing technique based on the type of player you are facing. Against good players who call frequently, bet larger for value, but against aggressive players, use smaller bets to control the pot size.
Advanced Poker Strategy
For seasoned players, an advanced poker strategy includes concepts like range balancing, exploitative play, and in-depth analysis of opponents’ habits. Even more effort and experience are required to become a poker pro, which is why so many try but so few succeed.
Poker Cash Game Strategy
Online poker strategy for cash games benefits greatly from having deep stacks, meaning having a large number of chips relative to the blinds. Unlike with an online poker tournament strategy, playing cash games effectively requires you to focus on small edges, less frequent bluffs, and putting a priority on value betting.
If, for example, you have a strong read on an opponent who overvalues a top pair, adjust your strategy to extract maximum value by betting larger on the flop and turn. A top pair is a term used to describe having a hole card that pairs with the highest-ranking card on the board.
Handy Tip: Just like with any career, professional poker players are continually refining their skills and expanding their knowledge. Many read poker strategy books, including ones based on mathematics or psychology. While you don’t need to carry out such research to play casually, the more in-depth experience you attain, the better you will probably play your hands.
Balance Exploitative Play with Game Theory
Part of advanced poker strategy involves understanding when to apply exploitative strategies and when to adhere to game theory optimal (GTO) play. Exploitative play targets specific weaknesses in opponents, while GTO is designed to make you unexploitable.
Against weaker opponents, exploitative play is more profitable. However, against strong, balanced players, sticking to a GTO approach can prevent your opponents from exploiting your game.
Handy Tip: Learning how to these approaches is critical, but you can only get the necessary experience by playing for real stakes. It’s best to use GTO as your baseline and deviate when you detect an opportunity to exploit a specific opponent’s tendencies. All the while, remember to gamble responsibly to keep your emotions in check and to practice effective bankroll management. It’s through proper management that you can hope to win more hands over the long-term.
Bluffing and Semi-Bluffing
Bluffing is an essential part of any successful Texas Hold’em or Omaha Poker strategy, but it must be done with care. Effective bluffing relies on your ability to read your opponents and the board and is split into two parts.
- Pure Bluffs: These should be used sparingly and in situations where your opponents are likely to fold, such as a scary board, such as when a third suited card appears.
- Semi-Bluffs: These involve betting or raising with a drawing hand that has the potential to become the best hand. Semi-bluffs are usually more effective because you have two paths to victory, namely your opponent may fold or you might hit your draw.
If, for example, you are holding a flush draw with 8♥ and 7♥ and a board made up of A♣, 6♥, and K♠, you can semi-bluff by betting or raising. Doing this will give you the chance to win the pot outright by causing the remaining players to fold or hit your flush on the turn or river.
Handy Tip: Bluff more frequently in heads-up situations or against one or two opponents. Generally, the fewer opponents in the hand, the more likely your bluff will succeed.
Hand Reading
Hand reading is the process of deducing what cards your opponents might have based on their actions throughout the hand. This skill is crucial for making informed decisions, particularly in challenging spots.
- Pre-Flop Action: Consider the strength of your opponent’s hands based on their pre-flop actions. Raising from early positions, for example, often indicates strong hands.
- Post-Flop Action: Analyse the betting patterns and the board texture to narrow down your opponents’ possible holdings.
- Showdown Information: Pay close attention to what hands your opponents show at the showdown. This information is invaluable for adjusting your future strategy against them.
Handy Tip: To start hand reading effectively, categorise your opponent’s range into broad categories, such as strong, medium, and weak hands, and refine your read as the hand progresses.
Dealing with Aggressive Players
Aggressive players can be challenging, but they also provide opportunities. The key to countering aggression is to stay calm and use their tendencies against them.
- Trap with Strong Hands: If you know a player is likely to bet aggressively, consider checking or calling with your strong hands to induce further betting.
- Re-Raise with Semi-Bluffs: If you have a strong draw or a hand with potential, you can re-raise aggressive players, putting them to the test.
Consider, for example, an aggressive player who frequently raises your c-bets. In such instances, calling with a strong hand like a top pair of a set followed by a check-raise on the turn or river can prove to be an effective poker strategy.
Handy Tip: Don’t let aggressive players dictate the pace of the game. Stay patient, pick your moments, and be willing to take a stand with strong hands.
Specialised Strategies for Online Poker Games
The best online casino sites in the UK offer a variety of poker games, including ones that you play against the dealer or in single-player mode. The most appropriate poker strategy varies by variant, and below, we’ve outlined some of the most popular ones that you should know.
3 Card Poker Strategy
This variant is simpler than Hold’em, as it involves playing directly against the dealer or house instead of other players. As a result, there are far fewer variables and a fixed house edge of 3.37% on the Ante. A suitable Three Card Poker strategy involves playing hands of Q, 6, and 4 or better and folding with weaker hands.
Spending some time learning how to play Three Card Poker is essential for any strategy to work. This variant is fast-paced and each decision you take impacts the overall outcome of the game more directly than in other poker forms.
Omaha Poker Strategy
In Omaha, players receive four hole cards and have a requirement to use exactly two of these in combination with three community cards. The key to an effective Omaha poker strategy is selecting hands that have multiple ways to improve, such as ones with the potential to transform into a flush or straight.
Handy Tip: In Omaha, you should try and avoid overvaluing hands like top pairs or overpairs. Instead, look for draws to the nuts, meaning the strongest possible hand in a given situation, and play aggressively when you have strong draws.
Video Poker Strategy
A winning video poker strategy revolves around making optimal decisions based on the hand you’re dealt and the specific variant you’re playing. One of the most effective tools for this is a video poker strategy chart that outlines the best choices for which cards to hold and which to discard in various situations.
These charts are tailored to specific variants, such as Deuces Wild, Jacks or Better, or Double Bonus Poker. They can significantly improve your chances of creating a winning hand, but you must use the appropriate chart for the variant you’re playing since each variant has different hand rankings.
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