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Poker Articles |
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Texas Hold'em
Lesson - Tips
for Winning Big! |
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5 common sense
tips to help you
win more! |
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In Texas Hold’em
Poker, there is
really no such
thing as "common
sense", because
most of the
logic is
counter-intuitive,
with weak means
strong and
strong means
weak etc... but
as I've been
playing hold’em
I keep repeating
tips and mantras
to myself that
remind me of
hard learned
lessons over the
years of hold’em
play . |
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Typically I hear
these poker tips
in my head just
after I make a
bad call or a
miss timed bluff
that gets picked
off and I'm
disappointed in
myself for
making such poor
decisions.
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Texas
Hold’em Lesson -
Five Tips! |
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Unless you have strong evidence to the
contrary, assume
that the
following tips
are mostly true
when playing
Texas Hold’em.
Strong evidence
would include a
reliable read or
obvious signs of
tilt, or other
situational
influences that
strongly suggest
otherwise. |
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1. Big Bets mean
big hands! |
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Do not call
large bets
without a very
strong hand
yourself. Unless
you are against
truly wild
players (or
extremely tough
players), big
bets will most
of the time mean
big hands! You
have to have a
bigger hand to
beat a big hand.
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So, unless you
have a very
strong hand or a
monster draw
with good odds
you need to
strongly lean
towards folding
a hand like top
pair plus good
kicker on scary
boards like
straight or
flush draws, or
even most
semi-coordinated
boards once all
5 cards are out.
Especially on
the river, don't
call down big
bets with medium
strength hands! |
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2. Bluff "less"
Especially when
playing poker
online!
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I say less but
that depends on
how often you
bluff now. The
real tip is to
have a
compelling
reason to make a
bluff. Yes,
pulling off a
successful bluff
is an awesome
feeling. Winning
a big pot on a
bluff is fun,
but overdoing it
is one of the
fastest ways to
lose your
bankroll. Slow
it down unless
you're playing
with tight
players who will
fold unless they
have a strong
hand. |
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Good bluffs need
to be set up,
well timed and
'fit' into the
Hold’em game.
Making a random
bet during the
hand because you
want to win the
pot is a losing
play. Make sure
you have a
reason to bluff,
you sense
serious
weakness, or
have dead on
reads. Don't
bluff away your
money,
especially
online! It is
easy to 'call
and see' online
since you are
not sitting
there face to
face and have to
'face the music'
of making a poor
call. |
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Plus, many good
players will
check top pair
good kicker on
the river if you
have called them
down with a
drawing hand
that has
obviously
missed. Example:
4 to the flush
on the turn, and
a blank on the
river. They
check to give
you the chance
to bluff your
busted draw and
pick you off
with a hand like
top pair or even
2nd pair, when
you would have
simply folded to
their river
value bet.
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Good bluffs
depend on
opponents who
are paying
attention and
have the
capability of
laying down a
strong but
vulnerable hand.
Make sure you
have seen
something in a
player that
shows you that
they are paying
attention and
can lay a hand
down. Most
online players
call. |
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Bluff
sporadically,
your bankroll
will thank you! |
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3. In general
bet larger
amounts.
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Bet more when
you are betting
for value,
they'll call
you. Bet more
when you have a
strong but
vulnerable hand
so you end the
hand there and
take down the
pot now. Bet
more so you make
them draws pay
way to much too
properly draw
for their outs.
When you bluff,
bet the amount
to 'get the job
done', which is
normally a
larger amount
(unless your
opponent things
large amounts
mean bluff and
smaller value
bets mean
monsters....
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When in
doubt, bet a
little bit more.
If there are
flush draws or
straight draws
on the board,
trying to value
bet a hand like
Ac Ad on a board
of Js 10ds 8h
with 1/4 or 1/3
pot sized bets
on the flop or
turn is way to
small. This is a
highly
coordinated
board, with
straight draws,
flush draws,
straight flush
draws etc...
Your hand is
probably good,
but you need to
find out right
now. You need to
stick in a bet
around the
3/4th's to pot
sized bet to
find out where
you are at. You
could already be
behind. Strong
re-raises should
be respected, as
well as smooth
calls depending
on the turn and
the action.
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Bet bigger and
take it down or
give the drawing
hand very bad
pot odds for
calling! 3/4ths
pot size to full
pot size bets
get it done! |
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4. Frequent
continuation
bets are fine if
you are the
initial
aggressor
pre-flop. |
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If you've raised
pre-flop and
gotten 1 or 2
callers it is
fine to often
make
continuation
bets on the
flop.
Continuation
bets can be made
when the action
is checked to
you on a
non-threatening
board. |
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A continuation
bet is a bet
that should be
between 1/2 the
pot up to the
size of the pot,
made on the flop
after raising
pre-flop (not
calling a
raise). If you
make a lot of
continuation
bets, you also
need to bet
exactly the same
when you make a
hand. |
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To be a
successful
continuation
bettor you must
also bet the
same when you
hit your hand.
Please notice I
said 'frequent'
and not
'constant.'
Finding exactly
where and when
to make these
takes practice,
but if
conditions are
not bad, start
firing away. |
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5. Don't go
broke in an
un-raised pot -
play cautiously
when you and
others limp on
in!
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In un-raised
pots players can
literally have
any two cards
and if you do
not have a
seriously strong
hand (nut or
near nut), don't
play a large
pot. Two pair no
good - fold it
to serious
aggression or
resistance.
Don't go broke
by flopping two
pair in an
un-raised pot!
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