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Online Poker at Absolute Poker: Strategy
Absolute
Poker: General Poker Strategies
1.
When you have garbage in your hand,
fold faster than Flash on laundry day.
2. Don't pretend that your some
big time poker player unless you have the bankroll to back
it up. The experts agree that you should start with at least
50 times the table limit.
3. When the time arrives that
you're holding the unbeatable hand – remember Nicholas
Cage in Honeymoon in Vegas – make sure you make the players
pay dearly to see it.
4. The first 5/7 cards you receive
will be the foundation of your hand. Build your strategy around
these. You're not likely to better your opening hand. I believe
that the odds of improving your hand on the draw are about
even.
5. You'll soon discover who the
strong players are at the table. As tempting as it is, try
to resist the temptation of trying to beat them at risk of
losing sight of the other aspects of your game. You'll lose
big time if you're not lucky. If you're lucky enough to win,
it'll hardly be worth the effort.
6. We're talking real poker here,
not video poker, so remember you're not trying to impress
the change lady by getting the highest hand. Your goal is
to be holding a better hand than your opponents. When everyone
else is frightened off by your superior play, the pot is yours.
7. Commit this to memory: if
you can't beat the other hands, don't join them, fold and
live to play another day. The table will always be ready when
you are.
8. Have patience and don't let
yourself go on tilt.
9. Don't play in a game that
is too tough for you (opponents are much better) or too high
for your bankroll (if you can't afford to lose, you can't
play your best).
10. Don't get married to a hand.
(You must be able to throw your hand away when it is obviously
beaten no matter how good a hand you started with.)
11. Keep good records.
12. Play happy, not when you
are tired, sad, pissed off, bored, etc. If you can't be fun
to play with, don't play!
13. To have a good poker strategy,
a poker player should have a conscious or unconscious understanding
of odds and expectation.
14. 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.
15. As part of your poker strategy,
you can use the concept of pot odds to guide your bluffing.
16. 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.
17. Play a game with which you
are familiar. This will give you a chance to acclimate to
online poker without feeling at sea.
18. Understand the difference
between playing at the casino and playing online. At the casino,
you'll have to play more wisely against possibly more skilled
competition.
19. If you're having a bad time
at the tables, take a break. In fact, take breaks anyway just
to keep yourself fresh and fed.
20. One of the more popular poker
tips is that you should always study. The best way to improve
your game is to study and practice your skills in low-stakes
games.
21. You can't expect to win every
session you play. Realize that every session is part of your
career session.
22. You should never be intimidated.
Play steady, and have fun.
23. In Texas Hold'em, you can
bet with an ace or two minor over cards on the flop, but you
should fold if someone raises your bet. If someone bets before
you on the flop you can call with two over cards, but fold
them at the turn unless your hand improves then.
24. In Texas Hold'em, You can
call with two major over cards (ie A-J) if someone raises
your bet on the flop. You can also check-call a bet on the
turn with that kind of hand, unless the board looks threatening.
25. In Texas Hold'em, a small
pair with an over card kicker is a strong hand that you can
(cold) call a raise with on the flop. Though, you should probably
fold it on the next round if it was raised on the flop and
you haven't improved the hand and someone bets before you.
26. In Texas Hold'em, if everyone
checks on the flop you can bet on the turn even if you have
nothing. Your opponents will often fold in such a situation,
unless they are too many or too loose.
27. In Texas Hold'em, you can
sometimes bluff-bet if the flop contains an ace. Your opponents
will often fold in such a situation if they don't have any
pairs or an open ended straight, because it's impossible for
them to have any over cards when the flop contains an ace.
Please note that this will only work if your opponents aren't
too many or too loose.
28. In Texas Hold'em, if someone
suddenly bets into you or raises, and you are considering
folding, be sure to first look at the amount of chips that
the player has in front of him. If he is out of chips it's
likely that he is bluff raising/betting because he knows he
will go all-in on that hand anyway.
29. Poker is a game that goes
on within you. Control yourself and you will be a winner.
30. The prime rule in poker is:
don't try to beat the other players; let them try to beat
you. This isn't just an introductory sentence; it is probably
more important than all the tips and hints that follow. Do
yourself a favor by memorizing it.
31. Be sure you know the rules
of the game. The player who knows the rules has a decided
advantage in any game against players who are vague about
them.
32. Study the poker probability
tables found elsewhere on this web site. A player who knows
the poker probabilities of drawing and improving hands has
a decided edge over the player who thinks he knows. But don't
become a slave to poker probabilities. They are probabilities,
not laws; and they do not supply a surefire recipe for winning.
33. Observe your opponents; learn
their poker mannerisms. Are they loose or tight players? And
avoid giveaway mannerisms of your own.
34. Play as often as possible;
experience is the best teacher.
35. Always remember that in a
poker game the average hand becomes less valuable the more
players there are.
36. Treat every round of betting
as if it were the first. Forget the previous betting rounds
and the money you have contributed to the pot.
37. When you hold a cinch hand,
wait until the last round to raise.
38. Fold a doubtful hand at the
start rather than in the middle or at the end.
39. Call your opponent or opponents
when you believe your hand is good enough to win, not merely
because you expect a bluff.
40. As a general rule, don't
try to steal a pot by trying to bluff a poor player, a heavy
winner or a heavy loser.
41. When you're in a losing streak,
don't let yourself get panicky. The more reckless you feel,
the wiser it is to get away from the table at once. A player
plunging to recoup losses or an excited player is a poker
player at his worst.
42. You must expect to lose the
pot unless you believe you have the best hand going in.
43. Most draw poker players would
win instead of lose if they never tried to outdraw the opener.
44. Bet your big hands to the
hilt and make every active player pay to see your hand.
45. Vary your playing strategy.
The player whose game is always the same becomes an easy mark
for smart poker players.
46. Try to keep a poker face.
Don't complain when losing or show elation when winning. The
emotional aftermath will prohibit clear thinking and proper
evaluation of succeeding hands.
47. Try to sit with your back
to the wall and try to avoid kibitzers who watch your hand.
Onlookers who don’t keep poker faces tip off many good
hands.
48. Trust no one at poker; it
is a game for blood. If you want to play a good game you must
forget friendship and bet your hand for what it's worth. Top-money
winners do.
49. When you play poker, give
the game all you've got or get out. That is not only the best
way to win at poker; it's the only way you and the rest of
the players can get any fun out of what ought to be fun.
50. In the poker room you never
sit down to play on your own. Rather, you make your way to
the desk behind which the room manager, some supervisors,
and some chip runners are milling.
51. You benefit from reading
the board of house rules present in most cardrooms. This can
usually be found hanging on the wall. It tells you everything
you'll need to know to sit down and play, as well as any particularities
that you might not find in other cardrooms.
52. Where you sit in relation
to your turn to bet has an impact on your results. Being forced
to be an early bettor in a hand is much less advantageous
than being able to bet later in the round.
53. Poker is a game of skill,
but a lot of the skill involves being able to conceal your
true feelings and, at the same time, to assess the true feelings
of others who are trying to do the same.
54. The flop is the nexus of
the hand; limiting raises preflop goes far towards disguising
your hand.
55. In early position you have
to play fairly tightly, even in loose games, since you don't
know how many raises there will be, and you will be out of
position for the whole hand.
56. When opening in tight games
in any position or loose games in late position, your attention
should be on getting heads up with a blind or outright stealing
the blinds.
57. It is better to sacrifice
your small early bets then to rope yourself into a betting
war with a seasoned pro.
58. We can't emphasize enough
the importance of keeping a poker face while betting, and
not giving any clues about how good or bad your hand is. The
whole point of the game is to make sure that they have NO
clues, other than the bets you make.
59. When it comes to betting,
alcohol can be your enemy. While beer and cigars tend to go
hand in hand with poker night, alcohol is not recommended
if you're going to play in a casino, especially if the stakes
are a little higher.
60. One of the best pieces of
advice we can give you about betting is to bet with your head,
not over it. This is the slogan for Gamblers Anonymous, and
it couldn't be truer.
61. Very few people make their
fortunes playing poker. A lot more lose theirs. We don't mean
to get preachy here, but we don't want you to pawn your high
school ring to pay the phone bill. We've seen it happen, and
it isn’t pretty.
62. Never bring your entire bankroll
with you to one gambling session. You need to have a daily
gambling budget. Start by dividing your bankroll by the number
of days you'll be gambling. Then divide your daily bankroll
into the number of sessions you will be playing each day.
This is now your single-session bankroll. Don't bet tomorrow's
money until tomorrow comes.
63. Set a goal of winning between
50 to 100% of a single-session bankroll. Then set aside your
original bankroll plus half your winnings. Now play with the
remainder and continue to set aside additional winnings.
64. Discipline is not only a
significant part of being a successful gambler but probably
the most important element of money management. You must set
loss limits and win goals. Example: When losing half your
session bankroll you walk, and when doubling your money, consider
doing the same.
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