Poker Strategy

Familiarity with the theory and unpredictability are basic principles of poker. These both determinations make you an unread book for your opponents because they cannot understand your strategy. It is senseless to play poker only with the high hand and having the low hand either check or fold cards. You can hardly beat your opponents with such a strategy. Make your strategy unpredictable with some advices and conquer poker summits.

Texas Holdem Poker Strategy

Rule of Slow Play

If you have the high hand (any winning combination) we recommend you to apply the slow play. It means that you should call all opponents bets or make a check forcing your opponents to raise turn or river bets. But this method has a reverse side. You risk allowing your opponents to collect the higher combination that you have, meeting their bets by Check. While playing according to this method it is very essential to feel when it is time to make or raise bet.

Slow Play is not recommended to be applied in such situations:

1. If there is card that makes your opponent’s combination higher than yours.
2. There are lots of participants in the game.
3. If the game has the high bank

Rule of Free Card

When you have the last word, you should make Raise (bet amount increasing) even if you have the incomplete combination on Flop. This action will force your opponents to make Check on the next circle, and you will get an opportunity to see the next card for free (if you are not sure in your hand) or make a bet (if your combination is complete). This method gives you an opportunity to save your money if you cannot complete the winning combination or to earn money when Turn and River bring you useless cards.

You may certainly face some problems if opponents raise on Flop. In this case you have to pay for two last widow cards. But this method is still useful as you may analyze the worth of your incomplete hand against the higher hand for this moment.

Check-raise rule

It is not necessary to raise a bet at once if you have the high hand. It will be wiser to check. Your opponent may think that you have the low hand or you even don’t have any combination and will bet his money. Then you should just raise. In such a way you swindle out as much money of your opponent as you can.

For example:

On the early position you get Ah-Qs. Flop looks as: As-Qh-6s. Make Check and your opponents will do the same. The one who has the last word makes a bet, and you raise it. In such a way you make the game too expensive for your opponents. Trying to collect the higher combination, they will pay a lot of money.

Almost Bluff

Is used if your hand is not the highest, but you have a lot of variants how to collect the combination.

For example:

On the last position you have Jh-10h
And Flop contains Кs-6h-2h.

It is incomplete combination, but the deck has nine cards that may finish it. If players make Check you obviously should raise. Even if opponents will meet your bet you still have nine cards to collect Flush and maybe six more cards (if you will get Jack or Ten). In sum it gives 15 cards and very high chances to win.