By now, you should be able to discern between whether or not your opponent has a strong hand, or a weak hand. You may not (yet) know how to use this to your advantage besides when not to call, but it’s time to learn about when to bet. A perfect metaphor for bluffing is as follows (I think it was Daniel Negreanu who said it):

Bluffing is like a story. You’re trying to convince the other player that you’ve got X,Y cards when you’ve really got A,B cards. You do this by betting – through a beginning, middle and an end.

Here’s what I call blatant stupidity:
You’re at www.PokerStars.de playing the board & the flop, turn and river have all come down – every round has been checked – and now the river is knocked onto you, sitting on the button. What do you do? Throw in a bet, about the pot-size, in the hopes of stealing the pot. Stupid. More than likely someone will call you on your bluff with a mediocre pair, or even ace high. You told an unconvincing story.

Here’s how to bluff properly in poker:
Ideally, you should start your bluff pre-flop. (Starting after the flop is fine too, if there are few players left in the pot already) Tell your story – you raise 3x the big blind, everyone folds with the exception of one other player.
It’s now heads up poker on Poker Stars.de; you’re holding 3,8o and your opponent is holding A10d. Flops falls Q, 10, 3. You caught a pair, but so did your opponent. You throw 5,500 into a pot that’s now 9,000. Your opponent calls. Turn: Q. Now, you can throw in another bet (remember, you can probably guess that your opponent doesn’t have top pair or better, otherwise he’d have re-raised with his nice kicker that he would *have* to be holding) or you can check and see what he does. Checking is the wrong move – you’ll show him weakness and he’ll probably bet to see where his two pair is at anyway (and then you’ll either have to fold or re-raise him to save/win your money) Throw out your bluff (which will always be the final bet in this situation), and you’ll chase your opponent out of the pot.

Yes, bluffing does require a lucky flop sometimes. But hey, you still had the worse hand and told your story to your opponent who now thinks he “read” you like a picture book. Don’t show your hand, you’ll only show that you’re being an ass

If you’re only looking for fun (or are a novice), then you shouldn’t invest more than what is “fun” to lose. You can also play for free at Full Tilt Poker and PokerStar.net. We understand that it’s never fun to lose, but I guess this amount is just something that you’re not going to worry about if you do lose it.

If you’re looking to play a little more seriously, and actually use it to earn a consistent income, then you’d better be prepared to manage your finances properly! Be prepared to bank 300 big bets (big blinds) at the specific limit that you’re playing. If you’re playing 2/4$, you should have a bankroll of $1200 (simple math: 4*300). This will prevent you from losing your entire bankroll because you were stiffed.

It’s a great idea to take note of your session records. The way I did this was to create an Excel spreadsheet, with a column for Date, Buy-In, Cash-Out. Down the bottom is an aggregate “score”, if you will, of how much you’ve lost/won in total. It’s also handy for tax purposes!

In texas hold em (a poker variant), players receive 2 down-cards as their personal hand (also known as hole cards), after which there is a betting round. 3 community cards are turned simultaneously (called the flop) and another then betting round occurs. The next 2 community cards are turned 1 at a time, with a betting round after each. A player may use any five-card combination from among the community cards and their hole cards. A player can even use all community cards and no hole cards to form their hand (known as “playing the board”). There’s a dealer button to indicate where the deal starts. Usual rules includes the use of 2 blinds (‘small’ and ‘big’), but it is possible to play poker with 1 blind, multiple blinds, an ante, or combination of blinds plus an ante.

The object of the game is to form the best possible five card poker hand. This can be achieved through using a combination of your own hole cards and the community cards. Whoever has the strongest hand takes down the pot.

Betting Rounds
1.The dealer deals each player their own 2 hole cards face down.
2.1st betting round (known as the pre-flop betting round)
3.The dealer burns a card then turns over 3 community cards. (known as the flop)
4.2nd betting round
5.The dealer burns 1 card, then flips over 1 as a community card (the turn)
6.3rd betting round
7.The dealer burns 1 card, then flips over 1 community card (the river)
8.Last betting round
9.Showdown (Remaining players show their hand. The aggressor/bettor must show his hand first)

Hypothetically, you’re in a game at www.PokerStars.net with 5 other players at the poker table. The hole cards have been dealt and you take a look: Jh3h. The pot is $15 after the blinds. The 3rd and 4th position fold while the last player calls, you follow, making 35$ total.

The flop is: 9hQdQh. You’ve got a relatively decent chance of making a flash draw (~35%) and it will be Jack high (technically, Queen high. But because everyone plays that card… you get the idea.)

You watch the action: the SB bets folds, BB bets 40, the last player folds, and the ball is in your court. Do you call or fold?

Gut reaction is call; your chances of completing a flush are decent, and there’s an outside (real outside) chance of completing either a straight or a straight-flush. Whilst it’s true that other players could be holding either a full book, or a higher flush, there’s very little chance of this.

Pot odds would advise you to fold. Your instinct is right, though, this is not a hand you should back away from. The potential winnings you will get from completing you flush, make up for the difference in the call.

The dealer flips the turn – 4h. You’ve got your flush but keep your face blank. Big blind calls, the other player calls – you raise to $15. As expected, the blind checks but your opponent meets your bet. After the river, the blind folds while your loose opponent checks. You call; your opponent calls and you show your flush – his cards turn out to be Queen-high trips. In the end, you win a hell of a lot more than the original $55 that you would have folded on.

Poker Terms to know:

• Under the Gun – First person to act pre-flop. (Person after big blind)
• Middle Position – 2nd to 5th after BB.
• Late position – anything after middle position, right back round to the dealer button.
• Full-Ring – This means the table is full, it has 10 players.
• Short-handed – Fewer players, ~5 or 6.

Under the Gun.

You really cannot limp with anything shy of a good poker hand. How do you know what a ‘good’ hand is in this particular situation? Put it this way: is this the sort of hand that you’d call a raise with?

A lot of players at FullTiltPoker and other poker strategy articles will tell you not to limp, at all. I can’t agree with this strategy whole heartedly; to the contrary, I feel a call (under the gun) of moderate suited connectors is usually not a waste of money. The underlying principle is that because there are so many players still to act, it’s more likely that a raise will occur and you’ll be forced to muck your mediocre hand.

Middle Position.

Generally, raise with pockets over 7′s, and any AJ or higher (AJ, AQ, AK). Of course, you must also keep in mind (when raising) who has already called. Note how many callers have called before you. If there aren’t any, raising with your big Ace is not so strongly advised. You still want to see the flop.

Late Position.

Again, you must observe the number of callers prior to you. Are there a lot of limpers? Play your weaker hands.

As a general rule, you must remember that small blind and the other early positions are the worst positions to be in, and the dealer is always the best seat. (last to act.) You must also understand though, that there are large advantages in acting and betting first – it is much harder to call a bet, than it is to make one.

Suited connecting cards are fantastic hands to draw with especially if they are high cards such as AK, KQ, OJ, I would suggest you raise with these hands and obviously if someone else raises first you should call (unless you know your opponent well and know he/she would seldom raise with any hand smaller than AA, KK, QQ and perhaps AK)

Whilst these are fantastic hands to draw with, they are not fantastic hands in themselves. Yes they have the potential to grow into very powerful hands, but if the community cards don’t help you improve, your hand could quickly become worthless. Its important to realize this and be prepared to lay these cards down if its necessary to do so. I’ve played against a lot of players who also fall in love with these hands and are very reluctant to let them go regardless of what comes on the flop, turn and river.

When playing the lower and middle connected suited cards 8-7, 7-6, 6-5; these hands you should aim to see the flop as cheaply as possible and if not aided by the flop get out, also keep in mind that even though you may improve your hand other opponents can also improve their hands.

Alternatively when being dealt suited cards on BodogPoker they may be gapped/ spaced; obviously the smaller the space the more chance you have of making a strait with these hands. For example to use both your cards in a straight when they are gapped by 3 eg. 9-5 the only possible cards to make this straight would be 8-7-6. Whereas to use both your cards and they were for arguments sake 9-7 there are many more possibilities (J-10-8, 10-8-6, or 8-6-5).

Other tips: While pre-flop suited cards have no more worth than unsuited cards of the same rank, they do have one thing that the unsuited cards don’t have, and that is the potential to make a flush.

With suited cards its much more acceptable to play them with larger gaps than the unsuited cards for the exact reason above. Particularly if one of them is an ace. In late position you may even want to enter a pot with Ace-2 suited just for the pure fact of the flush potential. Note: when playing the ace with a suited low card beware of any aces that my fall on the community cards, because you could run into kicker problems if you are not careful. On the upside though you could always pair your low card as well which can often pay huge dividends as players with ace and a large kicker (such as a king) will problem think that he/she has the best hand and will be very reluctant to lay it down.

How many times have you heard players on PartyPoker.net complain that their “aces got cracked” or how much they hate getting pocket aces because they always loose?

There are two main reasons that this happens to poker players

A) They don’t raise (or raise enough) pre-flop in the hope that more players will enter the pot and that they will be able to slow play their aces to win a larger pot.

B) They fall in love with their cards. (See Falling in love with your cards)

If you are lucky enough to be dealt pocket Aces it is mandatory that you raise no matter your position. If someone re-raises you, re-raise them right back with no fear because at this point at time there is no other hand that can possibly beat yours.

If you fail in an attempt to slow play (which is also a very successful strategy), don’t be too disappointed if someone outruns you on the flop, turn, or river. Also as explained in Falling in love with your cards on Full Tillt Poker, you must always keep an opened mind to what other players might be holding, and if it is obvious that you are probably beat fold your hand; this will not be the last time you get dealt pocket aces and you must realize that although they are the strongest starting hand, they are not always the hand that will eventually win the pot.

Kings

Pocket kings are the next strongest hand you can be dealt in Texas hold-em poker. As with aces you should raise from any position at the table, and re-raise if someone else raises. The chances that one of your opponents holding pocket aces is very slim so don’t be afraid to re-raise someone if they raise the bet first.

The main thing to be wary of when playing pocket kings is the community cards. If the community cards hold an ace this could be a large danger for your kings; many players, particularly armatures, will call raises with any ace no matter how small their kicker may be. For this reason an ace on the board is always a large threat, particularly when multiple players have entered the pot.

Queens Jacks and Tens

When holding these cards you most likely have one of the strongest if not the strongest starting hand at the table. The main thing to worry about when holding these cards is once again the community cards, but this time its much more of a danger as there are more over cards that opponents could be holding. You MUST raise large enough to push players holding aces and kings with weak kickers out of the pot, this will increase the chances or your pair holding up. You must also be prepared to lay down these pocket pairs if the flop contains over cards and you believe that an opponent could be holding one of them!

Middle and low pairs (9-2)

These middle and low pairs are best played in a late position; or only play in an early position if it is cheap enough to see the flop.

With middle pairs like 9 8 7 on a site like Ful Tilt Poker you may play these in any position (obviously the later the position the better as having other players act first will give you valuable information in aiding you to make the correct decisions). With these pairs you may be lucky enough to flop a set (three of a kind) and hopefully one or more of your opponents is holding over pairs, as this tends to be a very profitable play in Texas hold-em. Alternatively all the cards may be lower than your pocket pair leaving you with top pair (ruling out another play holding higher pockets), the main risk of this low flop means that the cards will be very close together which could potentially give an opponent a straight.

With the lower pockets you are almost certainly aiming to make a set and trap an opponent with a high pair or two pair. When this comes off it is very effective, but keep in mind the odds of flopping a set are only about 1 in 10 times. I would advise you to call in a late position, and if an early position (such as the blinds) call if it is cheap enough to do so.

Remember: you can always fold your hand once you have seen the flop, so seeing a cheap flop with low pockets can be quite profitable.

Considering that poker is a game where winners are decided by the decisions that they make, by simply refining the hands that you enter a pot with will decrease the amount of pots you lose, and also increase the amount you win. Choosing which hands to play at TitanPoker.com is the first decision every poker player will have to make every single hand, so it is a much more important decision than you may think.

Obviously your position on the table will greatly determine the range of starting hands that you will be willing to play. Also the size of the blinds (typically if in a tournament where blinds are continually increasing) will help determine the cards that you should consider entering a pot with.

In general you will be able to play a much broader range of cards at Titan Poker.com when in a late position (such as on the button) because the chances of there being a raise from this point is much slimmer. In an early position the range of cards you should play will be substantially smaller than a mid to late position (especially if in a poker game where players are raising quite frequently)

There are 169 different combinations of hole-cards that you can be dealt in Texas hold-em;

These hands can be grouped as

Pairs

Suited cards (connected and gapped/ spaced)

Unsuited cards (connected or gapped/spaced)

For strategies and tips on how to play each of the above types of combinations simply click on them.

*Loose Aggressive
*Loose Passive/Non-Aggressive
*Tight Aggressive
*Tight Passive/Non-Aggressive

I’ll elaborate:

Loose Aggressive

Bullies. Poker Bullies. These players are unpredictable, erratic, and probably your worst nightmare when you’re playing poker based solely on odds. These poker players will raise ridiculously, over-bet and bluff way too often. They ride their luck; when that runs out, so does their chip-stack.
You’re free to call these players with more marginal drawing hands.

Loose Passive

Too much money, not enough brains. They’re your free bank roll, or your massive suck-out for the night. Most of the time, these players aren’t too much of a hassle – just don’t get too antsy when they bad-beat you a few times.
Make the most of your moderate to solid poker hands to take them out.

Tight Aggressive

Most seasoned players would probably fall somewhere between this category and the loose aggressive category. Now, there’s no way to always win money when playing poker, but being tight aggressive would have to be the most logical. These players’ decisions are not based on a ‘gut-feeling’ but rather odds; if the odds aren’t favoring them, they’ll fold.
Enter a pot with such a poker player cautiously. You will, more than likely, need more than just a marginal hand.

Tight Passive

Tight asses. Yes, that is exactly what a tight passive poker player is. They gamble, yet cling to every penny like it’s their last. They’ll typically under-bet or possibly not even bet at all – instead they’ll just call.
A player like this rarely bluffs. If they’re calling you (or worse, raising you), call with nothing shy of a winning hand.

It is important for poker players on any site, including BodogLife.com to realize that they shouldn’t try to just ‘fit’ one of these types. Mixing up your game is an important part of poker strategy. Just don’t over-do it.