The standard limit hold’em is a straightforward enough game that is often being played in casinos. You, the player, are dealt with two cards face down and a number of face up cards collectively known as the ‘flop’. There are a number of possible combinations in this ‘flop’ that are available to you. You, the player, then you must choose, from the available cards, the best hand. The standard limit hold’em game can be played with a able of genuinely components: two hole cards, two face-up community cards, and a round of betting. As a result, the optimal strategy becomes a bit trickier.
One way in which you can beat the game is through bluffing. Bluffing is a bluff in which you can trick other players into thinking that you have a better hand than you actually hold. A good bluff is when youoveally believe you hold the best hand, yet you still hold a weak hand and are able to make your opponents believe just about anything. For example, you hand held Sam And Sam’s Ace and strokes K-K. The flop showed J-5-4. Players can probably still smell the nuts, despite holding a weak hand.
Since you are running a bluff, you’ll want to bet big and play aggressively. Say you have something like pocket royalty and everyone knows you can beat the best hand holding Big Slick (Ace and King). It would be wise to bet no matter what the flop has shown. If you have the Ace and King, you should bet no less than 5 times the big blind. This will convey the idea that you have a big hand, potentially, though not inevitably, leading your opponents into making some bad decisions against you.
What happens to many players in the early stage of playing Texas Hold’em is they get involved too early with too many hands. They are often either checking or calling too often. This is a very important strategy to watch, as many players will “bleed themselves to death” with this type of strategy. However, once you learn Texas Hold’em, or any other poker for that matter, you will want to play it aggressively to win. You will hold many bad hands during Texas Hold’em. For example, you will find yourself chasing cards all the time as well as folding good ones. To stop “bleeding yourself to death” of course, you will want to start off with raising during the pre-flop. Watch the action that has gone in front of you and adjustment your play accordingly.
What other cards are in the deck? What are the other players doing? What are the odds of getting more cards to help your hand? All of these factors are involved and no one can always give you the “full” answer, but it is always worth asking questions. Too many players never bother to consider the facts that can help their hand, or if they do, they never quite consider the odds involved.
All of the factors above need to be considered, and even more, you will need to consider your own hand carefully. Many of the factors above can also apply to a later hand, so it is always good to be aware of how the table is playing and whether you think you have a tight table image, making it profitable to play against you, or if you have a loose, aggressive image that could be very profitable for you.
It is not about reading physical tells, although that can be very important. Face to face tells are harder to divulge, than a player giving away a physical tell to your opponent. If a player is nervous or vibrating, it may be possible to tell, quite simply, that they may be inexperienced. If they look nervous, in a way that their face and posture are changing, from calm to excited, you may surmise they are inexperienced. The best tells are quiet, non-verbal signs that a player is either trying to hide something, or aren’t telling the whole story. You will learn to tell whether a player is trying to hide a strong hand, or if they have a weak hand, by studying their actions, and the room they are in.
Cash games, unlike tournaments, requires less information about a player’s hand to ascertain their image. Players can’t see each other’s eyes, so it’s not possible to see “Dewacasino” that would give you a good read of their hole cards. Cash games, also, require a greater investment in time and energy, since each round can last a lifetime, whereas during a tournament, the action is more frequent, the time between hands is less, and players have the option of sitting in for longer periods of time.