There are many different ways to play poker, and each has its own strategy. In Seven Card Stud, players must be able to memorize cards and quickly calculate complex options. In Hold’em, it is essential to pay attention to your opponents’ playing styles. In Omaha, good players know that they will often have to use an aggressive playing style to force other players with good combinations to fold.
All of these strategies are necessary for a player to win, and they, in turn, require patience, experience, and tremendous skill from the player.Here we will discuss the basic principles of understanding the game and some of the main terms. The first step in mastering the basic strategy of poker is to understand the game itself before and after the flop, poker terms, and how they can help you in the game.
- The main goal of poker is to win as many chips as possible by betting when you have a clear or slight advantage and folding when the odds are against you.
- Preflop, only play strong starting hands.
Always play and raise premium hands such as AA, KK, QQ, and AK.
Strong JJ, TT, AQ, AJ, KQ usually raise them.
Medium hands 99β77, AT, KJ, QJ, JT are usually played in middle and later positions and when the timing and pot odds are good.
Speculative hands 66β22 and 65s 45s if it is cheap to enter the game and there is a very good chance of hitting a set/straight/flush. - Position is a key factor in the game.
Here are the main types of positions:
UTG β UTG+2 (First to act after the big blinds β the most disadvantageous position)
MP2 β MP3 (Conditionally the middle of the table.)
CO β BTN (The player before the button β an excellent position) (The most advantageous position β acts last on all streets.)
SB β BB (Puts in half the minimum bet, plays first after the flop) (Puts in the whole blind, defends their bet quite well.)
In early position, play only very strong hands cautiously.
The button is the most advantageous position; you see the actions of all players before you, play more loosely and freely, and can sometimes take non-standard and aggressive actions to make a profit.
- Attack and defend correctly.
If you have a strong hand, you need to raise more often to reduce the number of opponents in the pot. Try to play less through calls.
If you have a weak hand, you need to fold. Those who play only with strong hands win more often in poker. - On the post-flop, if you hit the flop (top pair, over pair, set), you should try to play more aggressively; if you didn’t hit, then often just fold.
If you hit (flush draw, straight draw), you can continue to call if the pot odds are good, or raise depending on the situation and your opponent’s actions. - Sit down to play at the table while sticking to your bankroll management.
Usually, the minimum is 5% of your total bankroll per game, because the game is often volatile. - Study your opponents constantly and make notes.
Steal chips more often from tight opponents. Against loose opponents, play only strong hands more often and wait for them to make a mistake and give you the pot.
A little about terms and basic poker strategies:
Bluffing
The highlight of this sport, one of the most important and well-known poker concepts, is bluffing.
Using the basic poker strategy of bluffing means betting or raising when you don’t have a good enough combination of cards to win. There is also semi-bluffing when there is good potential to strengthen your hand, but you don’t mind if your opponent gives you chips here and now. =) The goal of such a bet is to make other players believe that you have a stronger combination and fold their cards. In this case, you become the winner. Without the ability to bluff, it will be very difficult for you to play poker well and earn large sums of money. This is, so to speak, the basis of this game.
Slow play
Using this basic poker strategy, a player who has a very good combination in their hands does not take too active action and does not raise bets too often, knowing or hoping that their opponent will bluff. If the strategy works, it can significantly increase the pot and hide the strength of your hand. You can often see this technique used by players who have two aces in their pocket cards. They play these aces slowly because this combination is so strong that they want to keep at least one opponent in the game. Slow play does not mean that you should constantly check. Often, as in the case of pocket aces, you can raise before the flop to reduce the number of players in the betting. Be careful not to overplay so as not to scare off all your opponents.
Check-Raise
Check-raise is a basic poker strategy that requires you to know your opponents and their playing styles. It is similar to βslow playβ in that you check and wait for the loose player next to you to bet. The difference from the previous strategy is that you raise immediately after the loose player bets, and they may not be able to call if they are bluffing.
Players usually use this strategy when they have a good hand or many outs when playing against a loose player. You need to make sure that the pot is worth it. You shouldn’t use 1,000 chips in a no-limit tournament to win 100. For this strategy to work, you should raise the bet by approximately 1.5 times the size of the pot. This should be enough to scare off your more or less experienced opponents. The losers may stay and try to change their cards (in Draw poker), but you should make this attempt unprofitable for them. Watch the players who make small bets in the last round to see a βcheapβ card on the Turn. A check-raise can often upset their plans and win you several pots.
Playing and changing styles
The fundamental rules of modern online poker are the need to change playing styles (strategies, systems, approaches, exploits,basic strategy in poker). Many players have significant problems with this, especially when they become more or less influential and well-known players. Nowadays, almost every poker site (poker room) provides the opportunity to take notes on other players, which is very convenient in the long run. This means that any player can remember you well even after a few months’ break. This is especially true if you are a very loose or, conversely, very tight player.
Changing styles is one of the most expensive lessons in poker, but it is necessary if you want to become a successful player. You need to learn strategies, try to adapt to the game, and play universally. Then you will be less vulnerable and a difficult worthy opponent. I wish everyone to find their style and enjoy the fruits of this wonderful sport.
You can find the full list of poker terminology in other sections of our website and blog.