After playing many, many hands of poker, it is common to have a good grasp of many of the strategies that can help you to win your poker games. However, there are some very basic strategies that all poker players must know. These are five-card poker strategies. Learning how to play poker well is one thing; but mastering these basic poker strategies is the real deal.
When you are starting out as a poker player, it can seem overwhelming trying to go from a game of limit holdem to tournament poker. Remember, though, that as you progress as a poker player, you are going to have to practice out your skills. You might even start at the low limits games first, until you get a feel for what the feel of tournament poker is.
There are many factors that make five-card poker so incredibly complex. On one hand, your hand might be very strong with a hand like Q-J off suit, but be completely dominated by a complete bluff. On the other hand, you might have a very strong hand, but have nothing more than mediocre cards. As you can see, poker is a game of chance, but it is also a game of smarts. You need to be skilled at knowing which kinds of hands can win, and you need to be skilled at avoiding the strong hands and waiting for the bluff to win.
Because of the very high stakes that five-card poker places, you can find yourself in say, a $100 buy-in game with some very skilled players. If you are playing in a small live game of $5, $10 or $20, then the skilled players are going to be a lot tougher to play against. In a $100 buy-in game of poker, $50 may very well be the chip leader, and you are going to have to play very differently than in a cash game against these players.
First, you should not play too tightly in the early stages of a buy-in poker game. Many players, especially those who are not so used to playing against such high stakes poker games, will play very loosely, willing to gamble a lot of their chips on any two cards. If you, for example, start out with a Nut Flush in the lower stakes games, when the stakes are low, you will find that many players are willing to risk it all for a single card. If you score a pair on the first card (which is the lowest in rank in five-card poker), then you will likely be very excited. Many players play no limit, and when they get a high pair they get very excited. Therefore, you need to be a bit more patient, and not play too loose.
If you are a fan of tournaments, you may also want to look for tournaments that have very low stakes. By betting very low and choosing to play tournaments that way, you can make your living, or at least have constant income. Many pokerace99 players do play tournament poker, and the ones that do end up making a constant income definitely have the skills.
Make sure that you use your computer not to download any programs, because you want to be paid for your own wins – that’s a given, just remember that. Also make sure that the poker site is one that offers you a lot of hi-lo options. If you want to play six-handed tournaments, then for sure you want to play in games with six players at a table. The smaller numbers favor you the most.
As far as bankroll management, many poker beginners still feel that they should have more than they really should. A good rule of thumb here is to be realistic. You are playing poker to make a living, not to go to the casino and spend money guilt free. Your wins are important, but no cash game is going to be won every time. If you are losing, or seeing your money go down significantly, you should move down a level.
As far as strategy is concerned, many beginning players get nervous when they don’t have great hands. Always have a back up plan. You can’t go in every time, and you definitely can’t afford to drop down a level to learn. There is always going to be money in the pot. The question is, are you going to win it?
Winning starts when you are more experienced, not when you have a great hand. Learn when to fold, and when to raise. After all, that is how you will win the big pots against great hands!
