Basic Poker Strategies
In poker, you have two options.
The first option is to combine your best cards and make a good hand. Then, with a strong hand, you can start betting. Hopefully, your opponents will either accept or call these bets with a lower hand than you. When the cards are turned over, you will win all the chips bet.
In the second option you will have to use the famous bluff. However, you may not really have a good hand, but you can pretend to be “bluffing”. You can make a big bet, making your opponents believe that you are confident with your “good” hand.
Also, if you manage to be convincing enough, your opponents have the option of abandoning the pot and “folding”. If you get all your opponents to fold, you win what’s in the pot, without having to show your hand.
That said, it sounds pretty easy and simple, right? But what if we say that you should avoid bluffing if you are a beginning player? Well, surely you’ve already made this mistake.
So stick with some basic poker strategies.
Basic Texas Hold’em Strategies
Texas Hold’em Poker, although an easy game to learn, can also generate extremely complex situations in which less experienced players can easily lose.
However, there are some basic Texas Hold’em Poker strategies that you should follow if you are a beginning player.
hide your cards
This is one of the advantages of playing online, as you don’t have to worry about hiding your cards. At a gaming table, however, it’s important to keep this tip in mind, or your opponents may try to sneak a peek at your hand without you noticing.
Don’t exceed your financial limits
It is recommended that before starting to play, you set a limit on the amount you wish to spend on betting and stick to it. In other words, don’t get carried away by the moment.
Avoid playing when it’s not okay
It may seem like a strange strategy but many players make this mistake. Playing hot-headed because you haven’t had a good day at work or had a fight with someone is definitely not a good option. You will end up making bad choices and eventually losing money. Poker requires concentration and reasoning so play with a cool head.
know when to stop
It is important to recognize when to stop. There’s no point in insisting if the game isn’t going well for you and you’ve reached a point where you’re losing a lot more money than planned. The best thing to do in these situations is to stop and start again at another time.
If you already have some basic knowledge of how to play poker, please consider these key points:
- Play pretty solid, but don’t risk your stack with weak hands.
- Avoid dangerous hands like those that evolve to top pair without a good kicker.
- Play speculative starting hands if you can see a cheap flop.
Basic Sit & Go Strategies
The famous Sit & Go tournaments are tournaments with a predetermined number of participants and which start when the last player registers. Here are some basic must-use strategies in Sit & Go tournaments:
Play conservatively early in the game
This simple advice should form the basis of your strategy for the first three blind levels. Most of your opponents in micro value Sit & Go’s will play in a very “loose” style. Take advantage of this and choose to play fewer hands during the first three levels of play.
Don’t risk your game without a big hand. Let the other players face off directly, no matter if you lag a little behind in chips.
don’t bluff
Let the pros bluff, they know what they’re doing. You, as a beginner, don’t. Therefore, avoid bluffing your opponents. That’s because if they’re really good, they’ll quickly notice you’re lying.
stay tuned and alert
Watch your opponents and notice how they play. Do they always increase? Make big bluffs? After the flop, do you call with weak draws? Do they appear to be agitated and nervous? Or too relaxed? Analyze and write down every characteristic of each of your opponents.
Be careful with check-raises
In micro stakes Sit & Go’s, a check-raise almost always means a strong hand, usually two pair or better.
Consider folding when you get check-raised. Unless you yourself have at least two pairs, for example, AK on an AK-7 flop. If you have AK and the flop is KJ-4, then fold if they check-raise you.
avoid slow play
Feigning weakness when you actually have good cards is not always the best move as a beginner.
The only possible exceptions are those rare occasions when you flop a quad or straight flush. If that happens, you can slow play and just check the flop. But be sure to try to get all your chips in the centre of the table on the turn or river.
Hand Ranking
A player wins by forcing his opponents to give up their hands, or by having the best hand at a showdown. For this reason, hand rankings are necessary and essential to determine which player has the best hand.
So, let’s take a look at the possible combinations of poker hands, from weakest to strongest.
High Card (High Card)
If a player does not have a combination or a pair, the high card is decisive during the showdown, winning whoever has the highest card of all.
Pair (One Pair)
This hand consists of 2 identical and 3 different cards. In the case of a tie, the player with the highest pair/card wins.
Two Pair (Two Pair)
The same as a pair, except that the player has two pairs of cards of the same type.
Kind (Three of a Kind)
A set is the opposite of a pair . It consists of having 3 cards of equal value and 2 different ones.
Sequence (Straight)
A straight consists of 5 consecutive cards of different suits .
Flush
A flush is the opposite of a straight. It consists of 5 non-consecutive cards of the same suit . The value of these cards is only important if you are running another flush.
full house
A full house is made up of 3 cards of a type plus a pair .
Court (Four of a Kind)
Following a three of a kind, it consists of 4 cards of the same type and 1 different card .
Straight Flush
A straight flush is straight in which all 5 cards are of the same suit .
Royal Flush
It’s the best possible hand in Texas Hold’em and every player’s dream. This unbeatable – and rare – hand consists of a straight from 10 to Ace, with all 5 five cards of the same suit .