poker strategy

Mrs. Sinner asked:

In order to improve your chances of making money playing poker, you must be able to capitalize on the money lying in the pots after the flop comes down. While stealing the blinds pre-flop is an important part of any poker game, post flop play will typically yield the biggest pots.

Post-flop play stems from 3 basic scenarios that are a result of the pre-flop action. Those scenarios are:

* No action - This scenario is a result of everyone at the table folding to the pre-flop raiser or re-raiser, or of everyone folding to the Big Blind.

* Heads up action - When only 2 players see the flop, the resulting action will be heads up.

* Multi-way action - When 3 or more players see the flop, this results in multi-way post flop action, or a “multi-way pot.”

No Action

No action - Nothing much to explore here. No post-flop action is the result of pre-flop play where all but one player folds. In this case, no flop is dealt, and therefor there is no post-flop action. Congratulations, you just saved some chips!

Heads Up Action

Heads up action - When there is post-flop action, this type of action is the preferred scenario of any professional or serious poker player. Heads up action is simply easier to play. Bluffs and semi-bluffs are successful a higher percentage of the time than in multi-way pots. It is easier to get a read on your opponent’s hand strength. Often in heads up action, pots can be won with low to middle pairs or even high-card hands.

The keys to successful post-flop play include position and aggression. Successful post-flop play will depend largely in part on your pre-flop choices. You will win more pots playing from position than you will out of position. You will win more pots when you are the aggressor (the bettor or raiser) than you will by checking and calling. Therefor, one of the most effective improvements you can make to your post-flop play may be an adjustment to your pre-flop stratgey. Open with aggressive raises from superior position to improve your post-flop winning percentage. By coming out aggressively pre-flop and playing from position, a multitude of different ways that you can win the pot will open up to you.

The most important tool you will have at your disposal will be the continuation bet. This is when a player raises pre-flop, and then fires another bet into the pot after the flop, whether or not the flop improved the raiser’s hand. When you enter into a heads up pot with a preflop raise, you should follow through with a continuation bet 75%-90% of the time, regardless of what flopped. Your opponent will completely miss the flop roughly 70% of the time, and your continuation bet will win you the pot the in most cases.

Another tool that a pre-flop raise from postion will give you is the semi-bluff. This is when you flop a draw, such as a straight or flush draw, and bet or even raise as though you have a made hand. If you get called and then hit on the turn, you are likely to get paid off in a big way! Even if you miss on the turn, you’ll still have a free shot at the draw most of the time. Your opponent usually will not bet on the turn because either (a) he will be afraid of facing another big raise, or (b) will have the best hand, and will be anticipating (and probably hoping for) another bet from you on the turn. Take advantage of this oppotunity to see a free river by checking the turn if it’s a blank.

You can also utilize “feeler bets,” which are bets or raises to determine the strength of your opponent’s hand or the strength of your hand in relation to theirs. While you are spending some chips in this situation, try to avoid thinking to much about your “lost chips” when facing an opponent who is giving you clues to the fact that they have you beat. The reason you are putting out small feeler bets is to save yourself large amounts of chips if you’re hand is beat.

Multi-way Action

Multi-way action - Multi-way pots are typically the most difficult to play, and should be avoided in most situations whenever possible, especially if playing from out of position. Multi-way pots can be good to play in, however, with drawing hands or small to medium pocket pairs. The reason is that if you flop a monster with a disguised hand, you’re more likely to get paid off as someone in the hand is likely to have a hand that is strong enough to call you with, even if it is 2nd best. If you were to flop a set with a small pair or a a flush or a straight with a suited connector, you’ll have plenty of players in the hand who might have top-pair-top-kicker, 2 pair, or a draw that may be willing to pay you off even if you fire a huge bet.

If you do flop a draw in a multi-way pot, tricky plays aren’t as likely to work. Stick to good pot odds to chase a draw. If the price isn’t right, throw the hand away. You will find good pot odds often enough in multi-way pots to make it worth throwing away a few draws when the odds are against you.

Jesse asked:

How do I play poker?

I am going down to see my friend at University in a few days and the people in his flat are going to be playing poker. I need to learn quickly! Can anyone explain the concept, what to do, generally how to play in an easy to understand way!?

Ling Tong asked:

If you intend to win money when playing poker, you need to learn how to calculate the pot odds in every hand. This is an essential poker playing strategy, yet it is one that beginning players often fail to do, which leads them to make mistakes. It refers to calculating the ratio of the size of the current pot to the cost of playing the hand. When you disregard the odds, you find that you are losing most of the hands and paying away your chips to the other players at the table with you. The simplest method of calculating the odds is to compare the number of unknown cards left in the deck with the number of outs you have remaining. Then all you have to do is perform simple division to find the odds.

This doesn mean that you need a calculator with you at the table because there are many tips and shortcuts that can help you do this quickly and easily. One easy method is to add up your total outs and multiply this number by 2. Then you add 2 to the total to find the approximate percentage of the chances you have of making the hand.

When playing online, you can have a cheat sheet by your side which makes it much easier to calculate the odds when you are playing multiple tables. You wouldn take such a sheet with you if you are playing at a table in a casino though. The sheet gives you the odds of making a hand with outs from 1 to 21 and is based on two cards left to play and one card left to play. When you reach this stage of the game, you need to know your odds so that you have some idea of whether you should increase your bet or just hold steady.

Although it may seem like a nuisance, as you learn the game, you will need to take the time to make the calculations. As you become more experienced, you will be able to do the calculations in your head more quickly. It will tell you whether or not you should hold on to the cards that are likely to bring you down or whether you should fold.

After the flop in Texas Hold em, you will likely be in one of three positions. The cards you hold in your hand may be worthless in comparison with the three cards on the table and in this case you should fold. The second situation could be that one or more of your cards could well make a winning hand with the community cards, in which case you should bet or raise. If you have a drawing hand after the flop, you don necessarily have a strong hand, but you could make a good hand with the two remaining cards left to be turned over. This is where you would have to calculate the odds to find the chances of these cards being the ones you need. It will help you determine how much you should place as a bet.

humdrum asked:


I won some good money playing online poker with absolute poker. I just sorta forest gumped my way into some winnings i’m satisfied with. Will there be a problem cashing the check they send me. I know there will be 3 checks but I think it’s illegal here in Hawaii, onlline gambling that is. Never cashed out before, i’m kinda nervous. There won’t be issues handing the check over to my bank will there?

jajogluck asked:

I have been struggling trying to make a living playing poker but I know that it’s possible. What’s the secret?

Groshan Fabiola asked:

Pacific Poker stands out as one of the pioneers of online poker, and has now been operating for over ten years. One of the main attractions with this online poker room is that they have micro limit games and daily online games. Some enthusiasts of Pacific Poker even go as far as saying that very few poker rooms can offer the facilities that it can. That fact that it is compatible with Windows, Linux and Mac, due to its feature no-download quick-play makes it all the more attractive.

As far as the layouts of Pacific Poker go, it comes with a simple feel and look, and there is no need for a guess of the pot size, as the exact size of pot and bets is known. Some people consider the lack of avatars a good feature, as it allows players to concentrate on the game and not be distracted by certain unnecessary images.

Customer service is consider excellent with Pacific Poker, as it has online, telephone and email support around the clock. The people providing this support for players are knowledgeable employees, who are trained to have an answer to any question a player may have regarding the games at Pacific Poker. As for the games, this poker room spreads Texas Hold’em, Seven Card Stud, Seven Card Stud Hi Lo, Omaha, and Omaha Hi Lo. The limit versions available are no limit, fixed limit, and pot limit.

The general opinion is that the competition is rather soft at Pacific Poker. But it is the soft games in themselves that bring the appreciation of this poker room among players. Considering that they are quite easy to beat, card sharks should overlook the fact that they may not like the graphics, and look at this poker room as the place to be. Speaking of graphics, it is not an exaggeration to say that Pacific Poker has sub-standard software. There are some players who associate poor software with a major drawback in playing poker online. However, this is not the case with Pacific Poker, whose popularity has grown tremendously in recent years.

Online gambling has raised many issues and has been at the center of many heated debates. In the end, as opposed to U.S. citizens, who may find that playing poker online is illegal, European citizens are free to do so at any time and on any online poker room. European gambling however comes with a license that any poker room has to have when operating. Otherwise, players may be forced to pay taxes for their online earnings, and since many of them may be unaware of this, they may find themselves in the position of having broken the law. This is why the European gambling license is a must with online poker rooms.

The European gambling laws are more relaxed than the U.S ones, which gives European players the opportunity to play online poker, without worrying about breaking any laws. That does not mean that Americans are denied access to online poker. As long as the poker room is not within the United States, there should be no concern to the legitimacy of their earnings. And when it comes to earnings, many players, Americans included, will think of Pacific Poker as a gold mine.

rikkan77 asked:

Im 17 years old, female and i want to learn tricks how to play poker.

p.s. i want to be a pro… at playing poker.

John Parks asked:

Choosing an online poker room can be a major decision, especially if you are going to be investing serious money in playing poker online. There are a number of things to consider when choosing an online poker site.

The first thing to consider is what types of bonuses an online poker room offers. Many sites will offer a sign-up bonus. This can get you off to a good start by giving you a little extra money in your bankroll to play with. The best sites will give you up to 100% of your first deposit if you play with their site long enough. PlayersOnlyPoker has the reputation of the best site when it comes to giving out bonuses.

The next thing to consider is the variety of games the poker room offers. A good poker room will offer a variety poker games and a variety of levels for players to play at. It will also have numerous different tournaments constantly running for players to participate in. FullTilt Poker offers one of the widest varieties of poker games on the internet.

It is also important to find out how many players use a various site. A popular site with more players means that there will be more easy money available. A site like PokerStars.net that advertises frequently attracts many players.

Finally, a good poker room will have a variety of ways for a player to withdraw money. Withdrawing money from a poker site can be difficult, but the best sites have multiple payment options for players. For this, bigger sites such as PartyPoker and UltimateBet are the best for withdrawing money.

Be The Poker Shark asked:

Lets check out some of the key advantages to playing online:

One of the key advantages of poker on the web is that its global, people from all over the world are playing and there is always someone up for a game 24 hours a day 7 days a week. This is great it makes it easy to play when you want to especially if you want to play some sit and go games.

Because of the volume of online poker players the choice of game and tournament options is almost never ending. Compared to playing against friends at home or playing in a casino or card room where you are tied to the type of game everyone wants to play, picking online gives you the opportunity to decide how you want to play by the value of the game, or number of players or loads of other options.

So there is nothing on tv and you fancy a bit of poker, instead of phoning around to see if anyone is about, getting ready and getting yourself out the house, fire up the computer and you can be playing in 10 mins. All you need is to be signed up with one of the trusted online poker rooms. Good news is they almost all offer bonuses to new sign ups and you can find them all here.

Loads of beginners play online, in fact players at all levels play which is great for finding games you will be well matched to. Pretty much all the online poker sites offer pretend money games, which you can play just for fun.

Of course if the chance to win some cold hard cash is more your style then playing poker is ideal. You can of course play several tables at once if you like to improve your hourly earnings. Or if you’re a beginner sit at your computer with a list of tips and our hand guide open to guide you through. As long as you know the basics and stay patient anyone can win online.