These easy 101 poker tips helps you to make sure you're
one of the few players that make money at the world's greatest game.
21-40 poker tips:
21.Estimate Implied Odds
Pot odds aren't the only odds
you need to consider. A good player has to be able to estimate how much more
they'll win if they hit their hand. Different draws have different levels of
profitability. For example, flush draws are easy to spot and tend to slow
players down but if you're holding 8-10 and the board is J-9-2, your draw will
well disguised and your implied odds will be better.
22.Don't Pay Too Much To Draw
If someone prices you out of a
draw, curse your luck and let the hand go unless you think your opponent will
pay you off if you hit.
23.Consider The Turn And The
River When You Draw
How much is your opponent
betting on the flop? Do you think you'll see one card or do you think you'll
get a free card on the turn? Remember that someone who bets heavy on the flop
is likely to bet heavy on the turn if it's a blank. Your odds of making a draw
on one card are significantly less than on two cards and chances are you're
only going to see one card if your opponent is making serious bets.
24.Hidden Draws Are Better
Than Obvious Ones
I alluded to this tip earlier.
I'll pay more for a draw when I have 8-10 on a board of J-9-2 than I will with
Ax of spades when there are two spades on the flop. The reason is that my
opponents will notice the spade draw and shut down if it hits, but they're less
likely to notice the straight draw when I have a single gapper - especially if
I raised preflop.
25.Don't Defend A Second Best
Hand
I see this happen all the
time. Most of the time it's because someone entered the pot with ace-rag and an
ace hit the flop. They continue to bet and raise the hand never considering
that they're probably out kicked. Have the good sense to fold if you think your
hand may be second best.
26.Stop Completing The Small
Blind With Trash
"But I'm getting a
discount" is the cry of the poker loser. Playing too loose in the small
blind is a huge leak in most players' games. The problem with completing the
small blind is that you'll either win a small pot or lose a big one. It's hard
to get paid off when your trash hits but it's easy to donk off your stack when
your hand is second best.
27.Raise From The Small Blind
When You Have A Big Hand Verses The Big Blind
Many players just complete the
small blind when it's folded to them when they have a big hand. Not me. One of
my favorite moves is to raise from the small blind when it's folded to me and I
have a big hand. The big blind thinks you're stealing and calls to defend. Then
they proceed to play their Q7 to the felt when they hit top pair. Every time
you raise they think you're trying to steal. They never consider that you might
have kings or aces.
28.Don't Defend Your Big Blind
With Trash
If you need a reason, see tip
27. I'm not saying that you should never defend your big blind, I'm just saying
that you need to consider the possibility that your assailant has a real hand.
You need a hand with showdown value when you defend your big blind in most
cases.
29.Don't Fight For Small Pots
Some people will make pot
sized bets to try to steal small pots. The problem is that you either win a
small pot or create a large one if you're called. Then you're forced to either
give up your steal attempt or commit a lot of chips to try to win a pot you
shouldn't have been betting in the first place. It's okay if you want to play
small pot poker; just make sure that you bet small into small pots so you don't
bloat them.
30.Practice Reading Cards
Stay focused when you're out
of a hand. Try to put your opponents on a range of hands and narrow it down as
the hand progesses. Being able to put your opponents on a hand is the key to
making big moves in Hold'em.
31.Take A Break
Poker is a mental game and you
need to be sharp when you play. Take a break if you feel tired or restless.
Both fatigue and impatience will lead to costly mistakes.
32.Distract Yourself When
Needed
Sometimes I get too fancy when
I'm playing lower limits. Moves that work on more advanced players will
backfire big time when you're playing newer players. If you find yourself
getting too creative or just getting bored in a tournament, you can listen to
music or fire up a movie to distract yourself. Multi-tabling is also a good way
to help you return to ABC tight poker.
33.Be A Bonus Hunter
If you're not working off a
bonus when you play, you're not maximizing your profits. There are too many
card rooms with too many sign-up bonuses and reload bonuses for you not to be
earning extra money working off a bonus. I have accounts at six different card
rooms and there's always a bonus available on one of them.
34.Watch The Rake
The rake is the house's take.
Different card rooms will have different rakes. If all other things are equal,
you want to play at the room that rakes the least. Why pay $1 to play a $5 Sit
'N Go if you can pay $0.25 in a different card room? Over time the savings will
make a big difference.
35.Don't Show Cards
Players show cards all the
time because they're proud of some bluff they made or some big hand they had.
All you're doing when you show your cards is giving your opponents free
information. You're telling them that they made a good lay down or that you're
capable of bluffing big with air. The more your opponents know about your play
the better they can play against you. If your opponents want to see your cards,
make them pay to see a showdown.
36.Use A 4-Color Deck
All poker rooms give you the
option to use a 4-color deck. Instead of half the deck being red and the other
half black; diamonds will be blue, clubs will be green, hearts will be red, and
spades will be black. This feature makes it easier to spot flush draws -
especially if you're multi-tabling.
37.Multi-Table To The Point Of
Diminished Returns
Find your multi-tabling
"sweet spot." Generally speaking, players will win less when they
have more tables open because they can't focus as much on each table. It's always
better to win $1.50 on two tables than it is to win $2 on one. However if
you're only winning $0.25 on four tables, you're stressing yourself out for
nothing. Keep adding tables until reach the point of diminished returns.
38.Have A Plan For Moving Up
In Limits
How big of a bankroll do you
want to have before you move up in limits? What kind of ROI or win rate do you
want to have? Moving up arbitrarily is hazardous to your wealth. Have a set
plan for when you'll move up and when you'll move back down if needed.
39.Measure Success By ROI Or
Win Rate
Sure it sounds good to say,
"I've won $1,000 playing $2 Sit 'N Goes." And it is good unless you
had to play 10,000 Sit 'N Goes to do it. Instead, measure your success by your
return on investment (ROI) for tournaments and number of big blinds won per
hour in cash games. These figures are much better gauges of your poker prowess.
40.Tournament Chips and Cash
Chips Are Not The Same
Tournament Chips represent you
equity in the tournament prize pool whereas cash chips represent actual cash.
This small fact means that the two games play very differently. For example,
there are times in a tournament where it's right to fold pocket aces preflop
but it's never right to fold aces preflop in a cash game. In addition, there
are times in a tournament where it's right to shove with 72 off suit. That move
is never right in a cash game. It takes a different set of skills to play each
game.
