The ability to calculate pot odds is a necessary part of any poker players game. Our goal is to play the law of averages as opposed to blind luck, in determining whether or not calling a bet is a profitable decision.
Pot odds decisions are one of poker's most elementary, yet it is one of the most common mistakes made by amateur players at all levels. No matter if you are playing a nickel/dime no limit game at Absolute Poker or the $100/$200 table at Party Poker, you will always find a player who is making bad pot odd decisions or ignoring them entirely, meanwhile paying off the rest of the table!
... |
Tight Aggressive (TAG)
A tight aggressive player plays very few hands, relative to how many he is dealt, but when he does play a hand he is very aggressive, betting, raising and check raising. A typical tight aggressive player will only play about 20% of hands that are dealt to him. Tight aggressive players are the sharks in the poker ocean. The vast majority of long term profitable poker players fall under this tight aggressive category.
... |
Limit Holdem
Position is an extremely important concept for any poker player to understand. Having position on your opponents can allow you to dictate the action of a hand in a game like Hold’em where the closer you are to the button, the bigger your advantage.
Early Position: ... |
As many of you know, Phil Hellmuth is one of the most successful Texas Hold 'em players of all time. I recently read his book, Play Poker Like the Pros, and was very impressed with his Hold 'em Strategy. It is not my intent to plagiarize his book, but no poker strategy site would be complete without mentioning the playing ability and strategy of Phil Hellmuth.
If you would like a shot at playing against Phil Hellmuth online, take a moment to check out Ultimate Bet. Hellmuth and other pro's such as Annie Duke promote and play at Ultimate Bet, and have been known to sit down at low limit tables to mingle!
... |
Royal Flush - 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace, all of the same suit.
Straight Flush - Any five cards in succession, all of the same suit. (ie. 8-9-10-Jack-Queen, all of hearts)
4 of a Kind - Four of the same card, ie. Ace-Ace-Ace-Ace. The 5th card doesn't matter, and in case of 2 players with 4 of a kind, the higher ranking 4 of a kind wins the pot. 4 Aces beats 4 kings.
Full House - 3 of a kind plus a pair, as in King-King-King-5-5. This would be expressed as “full house, kings over fives.“ On the other hand, 5-5-5-King-King would be expressed “full house, fives over kings.“ In the case of two or more players with full house, the winner is decided by who has the highest “3 of a kind“ portion of the hand. 10-10-10-2-2 would beat 8-8-8-Ace-Ace. The pair means nothing, the 3 matching cards determine your rank, and in this example, 10 is obviously higher than 8. Sometimes, a full house is called a “boat.“
... |
While entire books can be filled with tips and strategies, the ones listed here are fundamental blocks upon which to build your game. You must apply these principles if you are to have any success at all in the game of poker.
1. Patience
In the game of poker, patience = money. Patience as a poker virtue simply means waiting on a good starting hand before throwing money into the pot. A good poker player only plays about 20-30% of his dealt hands. This means that at least 70% of the time, you'll be folding your cards and watching someone else walk away with a pot. If this waiting proves too much for you, then seriously consider bagging your chips up and heading over to the slot machine...poker is not for you.
... |
|
