Poker Strategy
Below we've outlined a basic poker strategy guide that we hope
will help you along the way to playing online poker like a genius.
What is the best poker strategy? Online poker can be complex, but
not because of its rules. It's the variables that can complicate.
The main variables that cause this are human behavior and ever-changing
odds. There's no doubt that luck plays a major role in short term
poker success, but over the long run, poker is certainly a game
of skill. Like any classic game of skill, poker demands study and
practice from those who want to achieve mastery.
Here are some of what might be considered the basic building blocks
of a good poker strategy:
- Analyze what you're up against. The number of players at the
table, how aggressive/passive they are, your bankroll, your position,
and how much risk you are willing to entail are all important
in understanding what you're up against before you actually join
a game.
- To have a good poker strategy, a poker player should have a
conscious or unconscious understanding of odds and expectation.
Ofcourse, these numbers are not often as clear-cut as in other
casino games. It's likely that you would have to work with the
numbers mechanically before they become second nature to you.
- Pot odds are really just another way of looking at expectation.
It compares the amount of money in the pot to the amount of money
you would have put in to continue playing. It helps answer the
eternal question in poker strategy: "Is it worth it to continue
in this hand?" To answer that, you always have to have a
sense of card odds. Lets say the pot contains $100 and you need
to put in $10 to continue playing. The pot odds are 10 - 1. If
you have a better chance of winning than that, it's worth calling.
When the card odds are better than the pot odds, it makes good
poker strategy sense to get out. Have a 25-1 chance of getting
that inside straight? Time to fold.
- If you expect to be a winning poker player, you need to think
clearly and for yourself. Read what is available on this web site,
in books, other websites, on the newsgroups, the advice of fellow
poker players, then decide for yourself. Creative, logical, sensible,
situational thinking is a key poker strategy.
- A bad poker strategy is to play too many hands. Most players
play way too many hands. You will win more by folding more often.
This sort of discipline is difficult for the recreational player.
If you read the experts' books, you'll see how they preach patience
and discipline, and you'll be shocked by how many hands they say
to throw away. Particularly in casinos, you have to play tight
- there are more players at the tables and thus less of a chance
that you'll have the best hand.
- Another good poker strategy is to note that the bluff is not
as key an element of the game as you may think. Clever deception
has its manifold pleasures, but it shouldn't be done indiscriminately.
As part of your poker strategy, you can use the concept of pot
odds to guide your bluffing. An occasional, not-too-costly "discovered
bluff" (one that doesnt work) may also help you win bigger
pots in later hands. Players may think you are a 'bluffer' and
stay in when you actually do have a good hand.
- For the player seeking a profit, a good poker game is not one
where titans of equal strength square off against each other.
The law of the jungle rules the poker table. The secret of winning
money consistently is to find games with players who play worse
than you do. Successful players need weak players who obviously
allow their money to be siphoned away by strong players. Guilt
does not pay in poker, guile does, so make it a part of your strategy.
These are but a few poker strategy tips. In the long run, you have
control of your own poker fate. Stay calm, dont play wildly and
desperately and you should be alright. Remember after you've covered
our free strategies, you can play free video poker or real multiplayer
poker by selecting and clicking any of the two image options located
immediately above and to the right of this text.
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