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Texas Hold'em: No Limit Strategy
No limit holdem poker is
growing faster than any other form of poker because of all the recent TV
coverage but there isn't that much information out there teaching people how
to play. There are plenty of books about how to play limit games, and there
are some books on no limit tournament play, but really not much about
regular no limit ring games. Organizing the information in this "article"
is actually harder then the writing. Since so many of the topics are
related to one another I'm not going to pull my hair out on making it
perfect. Instead I'm just going to group ideas under a main heading.
Target Audience
This article is geared for new
to intermediate players. I'm writing this article for typical casino no
limit games and ones you will find online: $25, $50, $100, $200 buy-in
games. If you play higher then what was just listed then most likely you'll
already know everything below. This article is not about tournament play all
though some of the concepts apply to that as well.
Who Are Your Opponents?
Who are your opponents is the
number one concept that should dictate your play. But wait, shouldn't I be
telling you which starting hands to play in which position? What about all
those hand grouping tables? Forget all that nonsense! Most poker books fail
to mention that you should adjust your game based on the people you are
playing with. Instead they talk more about hand selection, position, odds,
etc. Those concepts are all important but in my opinion, changing your
style of play based on your competition is the most important lesson in no
limit holdem. Unlike limit holdem which is very mechanical, no limit holdem
affords a good player many more options. If you are playing well, you make
your moves depending on whom you are against. I'm mentioning this concept
first because it is thread that runs through all the other tips including
everything from hand selection, to how much to bet, to when to bluff. So
don't forget this one!
How Much To Bet
If you already know how to
play limit holdem, one issue you'll be faced with when playing no limit is
the question of how much to bet. Let me start off by saying what is typical.
Let's say you are playing in a $100 no limit buy-in game where the blinds
are 1/2. It would be normal for people to raise anywhere from $6-10 preflop.
You'll see people raising different amounts, sometimes much more then that
or just doubling the big blind, but by and large it is usually about 3 or 4
times the big blind. So is that how much you should raise? Maybe, maybe
not. How much you should raise preflop depends on who you are playing with
and what you want to accomplish. I've heard many players talk about how
raising the same amount preflop and betting the same amount post flop (the
size of the pot for example) is good because you don't give away any
information about the strength of your hand. In other words people can't
look at how much you are betting and getting a better read on what you have.
I don't buy into that. I think that varying your amounts is much more
advantageous to winning money. You need to be flexible and see
opportunities to where you can maximize your return. If a guy is willing to
call with all of his money, why would you want to only bet the size of the
pot? Let me give you some different scenarios. Let's say you are on the
dealer button with KK and seven people before you called $4. Your goal with
the raise is to cut down the competition and get one or two callers. A raise
to $6 or $8 won't do. In this case you can raise much more then you normally
would for a few reasons: one, there are already a lot of people in and the
likelihood of getting called by a couple of them is high; two, there is
already a lot of money in the pot; three, you want to get out of a bunch of
the hands since your hand doesn't play well against a lot of people. A
raise here for $12 or even $15 would be fine. Another scenario might be if
you have a really bad player at the table who doesn't seem to ever fold
preflop if he has already called the big blind. If you find a person like
that, then by all means raise as much as you can without making him fold.
It's very common to find players like this and when you do, make sure you
get as much of their money as you can before someone else does. This is
where paying attention comes in handy. If you notice someone else just
raised $15 preflop and he called, then I would do the same if I was dealt a
good hand. Post flop play again depends on two things, what you want to
accomplish and who your opponents are. Let me give another few scenarios.
Let's say that you have flopped a set of 7s and you are fairly sure that
the person you are against has a big hand since he raised preflop. This is
a prime money making opportunity. Your goal here is not to shut him out on
the flop. You want to do whatever you can to make him put all his money in
the middle. This might be calling the flop and then check raising the turn
card. Or you may want to bet some into him and pretend like you have a
marginal hand, then call his raise and check raise the turn, etc. See it
all depends on what you think the best way to get all his money might be.
Another extreme is when you don't want anyone to call. Let's say for
example you have T9 and the flop is T98. You really don't want anyone to
call here so you better come out swinging. What you are trying to do is
make it unprofitable for someone to call with a draw. Lastly, let's say
you flop top pair with a decent hand. Betting the size of the pot is fine
here. Ok, so those are a few tips on how much to bet and when. I'll have
more information regarding betting in some of the other concepts/tips.
Starting Hand Selection
Whatever I do, I like to do
well. And before I ever get into anything, I like to go to amazon or some
other book store and buy a bunch of books on the topic. When I started
playing poker, I did the same thing and bought a few books by the famous
authors. While those books helped me a lot, I think some of the information
actually was a disservice to me. It took me years before I realized that the
games that I played in weren't the games that the authors played in and also
that it doesn't take the nuts to win a pot, it just takes a better hand then
every one else's. That may seem obvious but it really isn't. If you spend
your time memorizing tables on playing certain hands in certain positions,
you'll never get very far in poker. The goal is to win and I think the
strongest type of poker player is the guy who can switch gears and vary his
play based on the table, hand and opponent. I'm not going to list tables or
hand groupings here. Instead I'm just going to talk about a few different
concepts related to starting hand selection:
Position - one thing
you'll find in no limit holdem is that position is much more of a factor.
Position in limit holdem is important but not even close to no limit. With
that said, I am not a slave to position. I'm just as likely to play a hand
like 9Ts under-the-gun (first position/worst position) as I am on the dealer
button (last position/best position). The reason is because I don't get
trapped and call unless I want. If someone raises me preflop a large
amount, I can very easily fold. If lots of other people are in, I can call.
I think position in limit holdem and no limit are exactly reversed. In
limit holdem position is very important preflop, but after the flop it is of
less importance. In no limit holdem position is less important preflop and
very important post flop. What's the worst thing that can happen if I limp
in with 56s in early position in no limit? A person could raise, and then I
just fold and lose my few bucks. A few bucks is nothing in no limit. In
limit poker though, if I limp in with that hand in early position I am
guaranteed to lose money in the long run. I can only win so much with the
hand so I need to make sure there is enough money in preflop before I commit
my bet (for limit holdem). In no limit you can win a huge pot with any hand
so calling a few dollars and then folding if it gets too expensive isn't as
much of a concern. Moderation is the key, don't take this too far. You
will lose if you play any two cards in any position and call any bet.
Big Loss Or Small Win -
there is a concept in no limit poker regarding hands that either will win a
small pot or lose a big one. These cards are usually hands like AJ, KJ, KT,
KQ, etc. Those are good hands in limit poker but in no limit if you flop
something with those and get action, you will most likely lose a big pot or
just win a little one after everyone folds. That doesn't mean that I won't
play those hands, it just means you have to watch out because they are the
cards that will get you in trouble. I treat hands like this with great
care. I honestly would prefer a hand like 45s over AJ. The 45s won't get
me into any binds while the AJ will do nothing but that.
Trash Hands - I love
garbage hands, especially if I can sneak in from the small blind by just
calling half a bet. What are some garbage hands? T2s, 95, T6, 23, A2, etc.
I love to just limp in with them from the small or big blind and then try
to sting someone after flopping a big hand. The ones that do particularly
well are the T and J rag hands: J2, J3, J4, etc and T4, T5, T2. The reason
these do well is because if there was no raise preflop then the opposition
most likely has hands like QJ, KJ, JT, etc. When you flop two pair you can
really make them pay. What you want to avoid though is catching one pair
and thinking it is good. If you have a crappy hand like J4 and the flop is
J92, I probably wouldn't even bet from early position. It's going to be a
small pot anyway since no one raised preflop so if you check and give it
away even if you had the best hand sobeit. Remember you are here to win
some big pots, not a lot of little ones.
AA, KK And AK - These
hands pretty much play themselves. You can have fun with them though. I'll
mix up my play based on who I'm against (especially with Aces). When I get
dealt Aces or Kings though, I'm always thinking in the back of my mind that
I don't want to lose my whole stack with these. This is a huge weakness for
new players. They get dealt AA or KK and then think they are guaranteed to
win. That's not so. The best case scenario if you are dealt Aces is
someone else has a hand they are raising with preflop. If that isn't the
case I don't mess around with these hands. I'll play them straight forward
and take my little pot. I'll raise preflop, then put a decent bet in on the
flop and bigger on the turn. My goal if no one else has a big starting hand
is just to win some, not a lot. Remember one pair isn't that great and if
you get tons of action after the flop then you are in trouble. I don't make
the majority of my money with big hands like this. Don't be discouraged if
you finally get Aces and then win only a little with them. One tactic that
sometimes will win a big pot is to feign weakness on the flop with your
Aces. For example, if the flop comes back Jack high and you have Aces,
waiting for a while and then only betting half the pot sometimes gets people
to check raise or raise a large amount because they put you on AK. Then you
just call and then put them all-in on the turn card. That happened to me
last night and I got a good player to lose his whole stack to me.
Middle Pairs (QQ, JJ, TT)
- I sometimes limp in with TT preflop but with Queens and Jacks you have
to raise. I think out of all the hands in no limit, these are the toughest
to play well. The best advice I can give is don't lose all your chips
calling all-in with Queens or Jacks preflop. You'd be surprised how often
you'll have AK, KK or AA against QQ or JJ. Being able to not lose a bunch
in that situation is a sign you're doing something right. The tell tale
sign of AA or KK is if you raise a good amount and then get reraised or
reraised all-in by an unimaginative player. If I just get reraised I'll
most likely call. If the person has a bunch of chips and goes all-in then
I'm going to have to look hard at the situation. Do I really want to put a
lot of my money at risk when I only may be a small favorite (they have AK),
or a big underdog (they have AA or KK)? How much it is going to cost me is
another thing I look at in this situation. If I'm playing at a $200 game
and it will just cost me $100 total then sobeit. Or if the person is a wild
player that raises a lot of hands and you don't know if they have anything,
let alone a good hand then go ahead and do the dirty dance. Also understand
that calling the reraise and seeing the flop is only the start. Most likely
all the money will go in by showdown. My goal in trouble spots like this is
to just break even. If I can make a few reads here and there and win a few
pots and then make a few mistakes and lose a few I'm ok with it.
Face Cards (AJ, KQ, KJ, QJ,
QT etc) - I mentioned these hands above in the "lose a big pot or a win
a small one" paragraph. My advice with these cards is to play them but be
careful. I play these cards pretty weakly. If I flop something big like
top two pair then of course I'll play more aggressively and try to win more
but with just top pair I'm careful. I will bet but I'm not going to get
married to the pot. What you want to avoid like the plague is calling big
preflop raises with these, flopping top pair and paying off the raiser.
That's how you lose fast in no limit poker. I will limp in with these
hands from early position but if someone raises a good amount, I'm out
unless lots of other people are in. I'll need a really strong flop to
continue. There is no way I'll limp in with KJs, call a preflop raise, and
then call all the way down with top pair hoping I'm good. If you don't have
the initiative in the hand (doing the betting), there is a reason.
Small Pocket Pairs - Of
all the hands in no limit holdem, these are my favorites. They play
themselves and when they hit, you are "set". My ideal situation is when I
limp in with a small pocket pair in early position, get raised a decent
amount from someone with a big pair or AK and then I call and flop trips.
You'll hit your set/trips about 1 in 8 times. I'll call preflop with these
hands as long as the raise isn't too much and the person has enough chips in
front of them (or alternatively other people are in the hand too). Having
pocket deuces is no different then having pocket fives or sevens. You won't
continue on the flop unless you hit (or you see a bluffing opportunity in
which case the denomination of your cards doesn't matter either). Pocket
eights and up can win without improving but it's rare you'll get much action
in those situations.
Suited Cards - In no
limit holdem I don't make a big distinction between a suited connector
(67s) and two suited cards (T6s). In either case you are going to need a big
flop to make much with the hand. In limit poker having the suited cards
connected really helps out a lot but in no limit it doesn't matter as much.
With these cards I'll limp in late position, sometimes in the front if they
are decent cards. I particularly like the smaller suited cards like 35s or
46s. The reason is because if no one raised preflop it usually means
someone is out there with a "weak ace" (A5, A6, A2, A3, etc). Sometimes
you'll flop the straight and they will have two pair, in which case you can
sting them nicely.
Staying Out Of Trouble -
In limit holdem much of the play is in the middle. What I mean by that is
you win the majority of your money by just having decent hands -- top pair
and betting it down. For example, you have KQ, raise, flop top pair, and
bet it down and win. To play no limit well you need to adjust your
thinking. In no limit you want either a great hand or a trash hand. You
don't want a lot of stuff in the middle since a mistake can cost you your
whole stack. This is why you would prefer to have 33 against a raiser
instead of AJ or KQ. Remember we aren't playing tournaments here, we are
playing ring games for money. That's a big distinction.
Going All-In
In no limit tournament poker,
going all-in is common. In regular no limit ring games it isn't unless you
have just a short stack left. I recommend buying in for the full amount and
keeping it at that level or above the entire time. You don't want to play a
$50 NL game and then bleed out $25 and just have $25 left on the table. If
you get a great hand, you want to be able to double through for the full
amount. There are two scenarios for all-in. The first scenario is when you
are doing the all-in bet. That's a good thing. That means you want all
your money in the middle. The second scenario is when you aren't the one
putting all the money in the middle. To decide whether or not you are going
to call their bet, you need to ask yourself a few questions. How much is it
going to cost me? How much is already in the pot? Is this guy for real?
Let's say you have AK and flopped top pair and bet it down the whole way and
on the river the guy check raises you all-in. Let's say the pot is $100 now
and it will cost you another $25 to call. That's easy, you call. Let's say
it costs you $50 more. Now I'm thinking. If it is any more then that then
I probably would have a hard time just calling with one pair unless I
thought this guy either was a wild player, didn't know what I held, or if I
had seen him do something similar before with a marginal hand. So my all-in
rule is just to asses how much of a hit I'll take to see the showdown and
compare that to the size of the pot. Obviously the stronger your hand is
the easier it is to call. It is impossible to make yourself immune to paying
off hands in no limit holdem. Sometimes the pot just is too big to fold and
you have to put the rest of your chips in. That's poker.
How do you make money in no
limit holdem?
That question seems like the
first thing someone writing a book on poker would try to answer but I don't
think I've ever seen anyone actually write anything about it. Instead
everything is implied. That's fine and dandy but I think knowing how the
game should go will settle your nerves and make you more confident. After
looking at a hand grouping table in a book and seeing that AA, KK and AK are
the best hands one would assume that you make the money with these hands,
right? But that isn't the case in my game or in any one else's I normally
play with. Those hands are only a small part of the entire process. So let
me list the ways you win in no limit (in no particular order):
Trapping Hands - this
is the number one way you make money in no limit. The definition of a
trapping hand is when you have a really strong hand and another person has a
lessor hand that they can't get away from. An example of a trapping hand
would be if you flop a set/trips and another person has pocket Aces or
Kings. You got him by the balls and he is going to lose big time. There are
a variety of trapping hands out there like if you flop a straight and
another person has a set. Or if you have a full house and another person
has a smaller one or just trips. Trapping hands can come in all kinds of
forms. One hand I just had yesterday was really funny. I had 92 in the big
blind. No one raised so I got to see the flop for free and to my surprise
it was 992. Some poor bastard had A9 and promptly lost all his money to me.
That was a trapping hand. He couldn't lay it down. Another example of a
trapping hand that I got butchered on a few days ago was as follows. I had
A2 of diamonds and the flop was AA9 with one diamond. It got checked around
and the turn was another diamond. The flush draw didn't get there and I
lost a sizeable amount to someone with a better Ace (I think he had AQ
actually but didn't raise preflop).
Big pair over big pair (AK
included) - I mentioned above about how most of the time you won't make
that much with your big pairs. The usual routine is your raise preflop, get
a caller or two and then bet the flop and everyone folds. Sometimes you'll
get an idiot who doesn't believe you and calls you down but that's usually
not the case. I would say about 80% of the time I don't win that much money
with my AA, KK or AK. The other 20% of the time that you win, you are up
against someone who has a smaller pair. AA versus KK is always a sure way
for the guy to lose his stack but many people at this level also lose their
whole stack playing QQ against AA, KK or AK. If I'm dealt AA or KK on the
dealer button, I have a better chance of making more money with it since
people assume that I'm playing my position instead of my cards. This is why
if you are on the button with a big hand and everyone folds to you, don't
slow play it and limp in, raise it since people won't believe you. Sometimes
I'll even make a raise much larger then I normally do on the button if
everyone folds to me. For example, if I normally raised to $15-20 preflop,
I'll raise it to $30 or $40. Then people really think I'm trying to steal
the blinds. Every now and then I'll have a guy who tries to raise over the
top of me thinking I'm bluffing and will fold. That's the best.
Small pots - Most of
the pots in no limit, and the ones you'll win, are going to be small.
Everyone will be winning little pots for a while and then bam, someone will
get nailed and lose their stack. That's how it goes. The small pots can
add up after a while though.
Betting in the back -
You won't make a bunch of money betting in late position when everyone
checks to you but its worth mentioning. I'm not a religious bettor in late
position. Instead I like to mold my table image -- how the other players
see me -- by sometimes betting in the back and sometimes just checking.
Drawing Hands - Drawing
hands are tricky in no limit. When you flop four of one suite in limit
holdem, it is an easy decision to keep calling till the river. In no limit
that isn't always going to be the case since if you miss your draw on the
turn card, often the next size bet will be too large to make it profitable
to keep calling. I've found that if I'm in early position with a flush draw
or straight draw it is often better to come out betting some instead of
checking and calling. First of all, if you check and call you give away
your hand and also you leave yourself open to being bet out of the pot.
Secondly, you may even win the pot by just betting. The risk of betting is
that you are going to get raised an amount you can't call. My advice for
drawing hands is to learn the numbers and then compare them to the size of
the pot. There is an article here about pot odds and how to figure them. I
want to also add that if you do flop a really large draw, you don't have to
hit it to win. Bet big and win that way and if get called hope to catch it.
An example would be if you have 67s and the flop is 4s5sAh. I would bet
that really hard and get all the money in on the flop.
Bluffing - I don't
think bluffing is of much importance in limit poker. It's almost impossible
to bet someone out of a pot in limit poker since it just costs them one more
big bet. In no limit it is more much of a potent tool, especially coupled
with a good read of a hand and position. Learning when to bluff is an
advanced skill that you will pick up as you learn the ins and outs of the
game more but I'll give a few tips. Number one tip is you aren't going to
bluff someone out of the pot if they have AA, KK, or AK and flop top pair.
If you find a really good player you might, but at the $200 NL and below
games it would be very hard to get someone to fold their Aces. Number two
tip is that it is much easier to bluff someone out of a pot if they aren't
committed. Being committed to a pot means if you have so much money in it
already that even if you are beat, you still have to call. Number three tip
is that it is much easier to bluff someone out of a pot if it is going to
cost them a lot of money to call. Your bluff isn't very powerful if they
just have to call 1/10th of the pot. If you can make them pay dearly to see
your hand, then the chance of it working is higher. Number four tip is that
it is easier to win with a bluff if you know what your opponent has and you
know what he thinks you have. If he thinks you caught your flush and checks
to you, then that's a decent time to make a play at the pot. Lastly, the
only player immune to a bluff is a bad player.
Losing Your Stack With One
Pair
This tip will save you some
money. It is pretty rare that someone will make a substantial raise against
you on the turn or river and not have one pair beat. You'll find some crazy
players that do that but they will be easy to spot. Everyone else will have
one pair beat.
A Big Bet Normally Means A
Big Hand
This one seems obvious, right?
Well sometimes we forget this in poker. Don't out think yourself. Most of
the time if on the river after betting the entire hand someone goes all-in
for a lot of chips, they have you beat. It's so easy to kid yourself and
think they are trying to power through you but that's very rarely the case.
You are most likely beat. Once again if you see someone doing this a lot
then it doesn't mean they have a great hand but anytime a lot of chips are
at risk it deserves your thought.
Beware The Raise
A raise in no limit is
something to respect because what you have just done is to give the bettor
another option to raise. That can lead to complications like him reraising
you out of the pot. Don't fear raising though, especially if some guy is
trying to bet a little so you won't bet a lot. I see this all the time. A
person in early position has a really marginal hand or a draw so they bet
the minimum into the other player hoping he will just call -- which often
happens. I don't play that nonsense. If I have a good hand and they try
that with me, I'll raise to the size of the pot. If they reraise me then I
can lay down my hand but I'm not going to let them make a tiny bet and see
more cards for cheap.
Beware The Call
Calls are weird things in no
limit holdem and deserve some attention. One call to watch out for is when
you bet and get called by a good player who has players left to act behind
him. That usually is the sign that he has a strong hand but doesn't want to
cut off the other players behind him. An example of this would be if you
raise preflop with a big pair and get a good player and two bad players to
call. The flop comes back 994. You bet and he calls as well as one of the
other players. The bad player calling doesn't mean much but the good player
calling here is odd. He knows what you have. There is a chance he has a
smaller pocket pair or maybe AK or something but it is more likely he has a
9. There are no draws with this hand. When a player just calls with more
players behind him it is called a "smooth call". It is usually the sign of
a strong hand. Another call to look out for is your own. Generally, calling
in no limit is not good. There are exceptions of course but the majority of
the time if you can just call then you are not going to win. If you are
slow playing someone then that is different. If you have a marginal hand
though and are just able to call someone's sizeable bet then chances are
you're sunk. A call is a very weak move and it means one of two things --
either you have a really strong hand or you don't have much of a hand.
Since most of the time you won't have much of a hand, people aren't going
to be intimidated by you calling. They won't check to you on the next card.
Instead they will keep betting. Also keep in mind that a call really does
nothing on the flop to help you win the pot. By the time the turn card bet
and river bet are out you'll be in deep. If you have a marginal hand, like
top pair with a weak kicker, instead of calling someone's bet all the way to
showdown, it would cost you less money to raise on the flop and hopefully
win.
When The Flop Is Scary
A lot of the time you'll have
a good preflop hand, raise and then flop something scary. For example, you
have KK, raise, get called by two people, and then flop AA4. In this
situation the worst thing you can do is check. If you check you leave
yourself open to a bluff. You are basically announcing to everyone that you
don't have the Ace and please come and take the pot from me. Instead what
you should do is bet, but not a huge amount. Let's say the pot is $40. You
don't need to risk all $40 of it to win. Betting $10 here is just as good.
Number one, if you are in fact against an Ace, the person is going to call
any amount. If you aren't against the Ace, there is no reason for anyone to
call. A $10 bet to a person without an Ace looks like you are just trying
to sucker them in. I use this same logic for all flops that look scary
including when the flop is all one suite or if there is a chance of a
straight on the board. You can also use this strategy when you flop an
overcard. Let's say you have JJ and the flop is K92. You could bet the pot
here but betting a smaller amount works just as well. If the person doesn't
have a King they won't call, if they do have the King I consider the hand
lost so why risk more then I have to?
Pay Attention To The Amount
Of People In The Hand
The strength of any hand is
directly related to the amount of people in the hand (inverse correlation).
If you are in early position and have a crappy hand like KJ and flop
something like KT5 and six people are behind you left to act, chances are
you aren't going to win this one. Understanding this can save you from
getting committed to pots that you shouldn't. If you play a lot of hands in
no limit, which I suggest you do because it is fun and rewarding, you need
to be more apt to fold them unless you catch something big. Getting stuck
with a marginal hand like KJ and KQ and betting it down is bad no limit
poker. You'll lose a lot this way.
Confusing People Is
Profitable
Whenever you can make someone
think you have a hand that you don't, you end up making money. In limit
poker you don't have the arsenal of tricks you do in no limit. I'll list a
few tips here that I've used to milk people for more then my fair share. The
first tip is the all mighty overbet. Over betting is when you bet too much
-- you bet an unreasonable amount of money in relation to the pot. It's
hilarious how confusing it is to people when you do this. Their first
assumption is that you are trying to bully them because why on earth would
you be betting that much if you really did have a good hand? Wouldn't you
rather bet less and get called? You can do this preflop or on the flop and
after. Sometimes I'll just throw in a massive raise preflop with Aces or
Kings just for the hell of it. I would say probably a quarter of the time I
get a caller. Also sometimes if I have a set or two pair I'll bet a large
amount on the flop, then slow down on the turn, and then big huge on the
river. That also confuses people. Once again they assume I'm trying to
bully them. Another trick I use now and again when I'm in early position
and flop a big hand is to bet a decent amount on the flop (and get raised by
someone). Then I just call. Then on the turn card instead of checking I
bet another amount but smaller then before. It looks like a weak move so
the other guy raises me more this time which is exactly what I wanted.
Sometimes I'll do this when I flop trips and someone has an overpair (like
Aces or Kings). Let's say I have 89s and the flop is 994. By betting a
little on the flop I look like I'm trying to bluff him out but don't have
the balls to make a big bet. So he raises me and then when I just call it
confirms to him that I don't really have a 9. Then the bet on the turn
again seals the deal. Changes in initiative are always really confusing to
people. Initiative is the term for describing who is doing the betting, who
is in the drivers seat in the hand.
When The Flush Gets There On
You
Let's say you raise preflop,
get called. The flop comes back and the flush draw is there. You bet and
get called. The turn card brings the flush. What do you do? You have a
lot of options but I only use one. If you check and the person bets, what
does that mean? You have no idea and if you just call then you leave
yourself wide open to be bet out of the pot on the river. Instead of
checking, I bet. I bet a decent amount but not a huge amount. For example,
if my previous bet was $15 or $20, I'll do the same thing again. Note how
in no limit holdem, you have to double the size of the first bet if you want
to raise. So if I bet $20, he has to raise to $40. Did I remove the chance
of me being bluffed out of the pot? No I didn't, but I've made it more
expensive for the player behind me to try that move. Also if he does raise
me, I could very well also have the flush and reraise him. I use this
tactic for a lot of situations where the community cards are crazy and I'm
not sure "where I'm at". It may cost a bet if the person actually does have
the hand but it keeps me in the pot if they don't. This is another example
of why position is very powerful in no limit. If you are behind someone and
some scare cards come out, you can easily take the pot from them.
Who I Love Playing Against
There are a few different
players I like to play against. My most favorite opponent is the big
bettor. They will raise preflop, then religiously bet the size of the pot
in each betting round. It will only be a matter of time before I get their
chips because it will only take one good hand before they will commit all
their money to the pot. What I do against these types of players is just
let them do all the betting. I limp in, call their raise, call their flop
bet and then they usually go all-in on the turn card. Aggression is good in
no limit holdem but also remember that every chip in action is a chip you
have to win back. For some reason these types of players don't understand
that you do actually have to have a hand once in a while to win. The next
opponent I like playing against is the really loose player who calls any
size of bet preflop. Next, I love playing with wild players who like to
raise every other hand. They are great for the game. They often get
everyone off balance and people begin to play poorly. When you are playing
with a maniac in no limit holdem, be careful. They can get good hands too
so don't put all your money in the pot with garbage. At the same time
though, you need to challenge them and let them bluff their money off to
you. Lastly, I love playing with super tight players who only play AA, KK,
AK, QQ, etc. These types of players have read a book or two and feel like
they are entitled to win as long as they don't play bad hands. Players like
this wait all day for AA, then get it and raise. I love calling them with
little hands just to see if I hit knowing that if I do, they will give me
their whole stack. They are just waiting for someone to challenge their AA
on the flop and they are married to the hand. What they don't realize is
that AA is a good starting hand, but it is just one pair. Also what makes
playing against tight players so easy is that you always know what they
have. Losing money to them is pretty hard.
Buying Poker Books
I purchase all the available
material published on texas holdem (even the low limit books). Anything
that has a potential to improve my game or to make me think about the game
in a new light I am interested in. My only advice is that you take
everything you read with a grain of salt. A book isn't going to tell you
how to win, it will only cover some concepts you should be familiar with.
You always need to adjust your play based on who you are playing against.
Reading and talking about poker is a form of training. I'm not going to
endorse any poker writers here but I suggest you look around a buy a few
books.
Slow Playing
Slow playing is basically if
you have a good hand then instead of raising at that betting round, you wait
until a later one to raise. In limit holdem I'm a big fan of slow playing.
In no limit holdem, I slow play less for a few reasons. The first reason
is many of the hands I am involved in aren't that strong and the more cards
that come out, the less strength my hand has. The second reason I don't
slow play as much is I don't want to end up putting a big bet in at the
wrong time and lose more then necessary with a marginal hand. Another
reason I don't slow play as much in no limit is because the people I play
with expect me to bet when I have something or not so checking and then
putting in a big raise later doesn't get much action. Instead of
slowplaying I prefer to try to build a pot and get someone committed. One
situation I will slow play or just call bets is when I have a set or trips.
If you have a nut hand (one that can't be beat) then sometimes you will
make more money by springing a trap later after someone has a lot of money
invested in the hand. Don't mess around with one pair like that though or
you'll be nailed. For example, if you have AK and flop an Ace you don't
want to let the opposition see a lot of cards. To finish up, I'm much more
likely to slow play in no limit if I'm up against one person. The more
people in the pot, the less you should slow play.
Big Stack Gets More Action
I've heard that if you have a
large stack of chips at a table then you will get less action. I have found
the opposite to be true. When I have a large stack (4x more then the
buy-in), people call much larger bets from me. I've thought about this for
a while and I think the reason is that people don't like to feel like they
are being bullied. Everyone at the table wants to get a piece of you.
That's the best money making situation since you can put in much larger
bets when you have a good hand. The opposite may be true as well, if I see
someone with a large stack raise three times more preflop then everyone else
usually does, I am suspicious. That can get you in trouble though since the
guy may just be having a killer day.
Adjusting For Home Games
Home games are usually
different then what you'll find online or in regular cardrooms. When I play
home games with my friends its more of a relaxing fun time then all out war.
Playing your best game for a regular game might be completely different
then for a home game. If your friends are in every single hand, then you
can definitely loosen up and have some fun too. Don't be a slave to the
rules. This is poker, it's meant to be fun!
Short Stack Reraise Trick
One trick that particularly
warms my heart is when I get dealt a big hand like AA or KK and I see a
fairly loose or wild player with just a little money left. For example,
let's say it is a NL $200 game and the player just has $40 left. What often
works well is just to raise enough that the short stack has enough to
reraise all-in, which gives you another chance to reraise the other players
in the hand. People have gotten pissed at me doing that but I still love
to. The end result is really great, instead of only getting $20 in preflop
from each player, now I can get $60+ or shut them out completely.
Position, Position, Position
If you are limit holdem player
migrated to no limit, you may not fully appreciate the power of position. I
can't emphasize it enough. Being the last person to act, especially in heads
up situations, affords you a lot power. It has been my experience that if
you are in later position and someone checks, it is much more likely that
they don't have much or are weak, then that they are going for a check
raise. For example, let's say that a person raises preflop and you call
with a middle pair. The flop comes back Ace high. If the person checks to
you, it probably means they don't have an Ace, not that they have a set of
Aces. So my advice is don't fear the check raise. If they check raise you
once in a while, great, good for them. Most of the time it won't happen
though. Another situation often happens in my games and that is when I am
in with a flush draw on a raggedy flop. Let's say the flop is for example
752 with two hearts. The first person bets and I call. They bet again and
I call. The flush or my over cards don't get there for me and the board
pairs on the river and they check -- board is 7-5-2-6-7. Now that's a
little weird, what did they have all this time that they would now check? A
good size bet now would probably win the pot. It is very likely they also
missed a draw of some kind or were just betting overcards since the flop
looked like it didn't hit you as well. Position is powerful only if you use
it. Always keep it in the back of your mind that you don't need the winning
hand to take the pot, you just need to make everyone else fold. If you can
make some ballsy bets now and then at the right times, you'll make it very
hard on your opponents. These are spots where I like to make my plays.
Remember above how I mentioned I don't always bet in the back when everyone
checks to me on the flop? I wrote that I like to play "honestly" there most
of the time. The biggest reason for that, is so I can steal more later when
it really matters.
Calling To Chop
Remember that chopping a pot
means to split it. One mistake I see a lot of players make is to call bets
just to chop a pot. That's a big no no in poker. If at best, you are only
going to tie, it is wrong to put more money in the pot. Sometimes a card
will come down that basically blocks your hand. An example of this would be
if the board is paired and an Ace is on the river card (you have KQ and the
board is 2-2-K-7-A). Your kicker is now worthless so at best you chop with
the other person and at worst you lose completely.
Online No Limit Games
Should you play at more then
one table? I do. If you are just learning you may want to start at one
table and then work up. The more tables you play the less you are paying
attention to each game. That's the downside. The upside though is that you
get to see more hands per hour, it is more exciting and you have the
potential to make more money.
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