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.
81-101 poker tips:
81.Don't Be Afraid Of Monsters In The Closet
I know I said to be careful of playing
overpairs too fast, but you can't be afraid of monsters in the closet either.
When someone goes all- in on a flop like 8-7-2, it doesn't always mean they
have a set. They might have JJ, QQ or KK and your aces could be good. You have
to weigh the situation carefully to make the right decision.
82.Don't Bluff Calling Stations
Calling stations call. That's their defining
characteristic. There's no sense trying to get someone to fold if it's not in
them to lay anything down. When you face a calling station, stop all forms of
bluffing and bet all hands for value. Let the calling station feed you their
stack when you have a hand.
83.Get A Mentor
There's no substitute for a skilled player by
your side helping you improve. Some people may be fortunate enough to know
someone who will mentor them, others might meet someone in forums or in poker
leagues; but even people who don't have any poker contacts can hire a mentor.
It won't be cheap, but a good mentor will be worth many times their price.
84.Know The Difference Between A Value Raise
And A Stealing Raise
This knowledge is especially important in
tournament play where stealing and re-stealing blinds drives the final stages.
Raises from early position are usually value raises. It's hard to steal from an
early position. Late position raises are more likely to be a steal. However
beware of small raises from late position. The raiser might be trying to price
you in the hand.
85.Let The Money Come Naturally
You can't force profits. If you try, you'll
hemorrhage money. Accept the fact that you're not going to earn $30 an hour
playing $0.50/$1 No-Limit. You'll have to grind it out and roll up in limits
until you can play a game big enough to make the money you want. Poker is a
game of skill and patience. Disciplined players profit and impulsive players go
broke.
86.Use Your Betting Patterns To Disguise Your
Hand
Astute players will pick up on how you play
certain hands. If you want to get paid, you have to change your usual betting
pattern. I once got a player to give me 30% of their stack with air when I had
trips because I played them the exact same way I played a pure bluff five hands
earlier. My opponent recognized the line and thought I was on a bluff when I
had a powerful hand.
87.Don't Berate Donkeys
Don't insult bad players at your table even if
they draw out on you. If anything you should go out of your way to praise their
poor play and make them feel comfortable. You want bad players to stay at your
table for as long as possible and they won't do that if you keep telling them
what a moron they are.
88.Watch Out For The Squeeze Play
Let's say there are three limpers in early
position. You're in middle position with 66, so you call hoping to see a cheap
flop. Someone behind you raises and everyone folds to the big blind who
re-raises. Now you're caught in a squeeze play. You can't call because you
don't know if the original raiser is going re-raise the big blind and you don't
want to commit too many chips with a pair of sixes. Fold and make a mental note
of the situation. If this play is common at your table it might be a good
opportunity to trap with a big hand.
89.Look For Opportunities To Squeeze
The big blind made a great play in the last
tip. He noticed that the limpers were weak and that the original raiser
probably opened up his raising range to capture the dead money. With that
knowledge, the big blind re-raised big to represent aces or kings and take down
a large pot. Even if the original raiser called it would be difficult for them
to play unless they caught a great flop. Remember that the next time you're the
big blind and you see a hand like this develop.
90.Munch On Dead Money
Let's not forget about the original raiser in
the past two tips. His play was pretty good too. He noticed that there were a
lot of limpers in the pot that were unlikely to call a raise. He was trying to
munch on the dead money in the pot. It didn't work because the big blind
decided to put the squeeze play on, but that doesn't mean it was a bad move.
91.Show Some Respect Once In A While
Even the most passive players can only take a
certain amount of punishment before they wake up and start playing back at a
bully. Check down a hand or two against someone you've been pounding when you
have a decent hand. It will make them think that you aren't bullying them with
junk and they'll be less likely to stand up to you.
92.Get Crazy In A Rock Garden
If you find yourself at a table full of nits,
start raising and re-raising like crazy. You'll most likely take down quite a
few pots because of your aggression and you'll start to push the rocks out of
their comfort zone. Eventually they'll start to loosen up against you to stop
you from bullying the table. When the table loosens up you can start playing
tighter and get more action on your big hands.
93.Know What Kind Of Pot Your Hand Likes
Pocket aces like a pot with one or two other
opponents, but pocket twos and 67 suited like a pot with five or more
opponents. That information should tell you that you should raise to thin the
field with aces, but call to allow more people in the pot with twos.
94.Mind The Barriers
Certain limits have players of similar skills.
For example, there's not much difference in the skill level of a $0.25/$0.50
No-Limit player and a $0.50/$1 player, but there is a difference between a
$0.50/$1 player and a $1/$2 player. There are many barriers like this in poker
and they can be different in different poker rooms. Mind the barriers and don't
cross them until you're ready.
95.Become A Prop Player
Did you know that some poker rooms will pay you
to play poker? These rooms want players to play at certain limits at certain
times to help fill their games and attract more players. The compensation
varies buy you could easily earn 135% of your rake plus bonuses. That's not a
bad way to pad your bankroll.
96.Play For Prizes
Some sites will offer you freebies in addition
to the poker room's bonus to sign-up. These freebies range from books and poker
chip sets to free training and rake back. You're going to play anyway, so you
might as well get as much as you can for it.
97.Try A New Style
Are you a tight player? Try playing loose for a
while. Are you a LAGtard? Tighten up and see how it affects your bankroll.
There are pros and cons to both styles of play. Mix it up and see what style
suits you best. Just make sure you drop down in limits before testing out the
new you in case it doesn't work out well.
98.Learn When To Bluff
I'm convinced that most players have no clue
when they should bluff. There's no magic pill that will teach you when you
should bluff. It depends on a lot of factors like the texture of the flop; your
opponent's playing style and your image. The only universal truth I have for
you is this: most players bluff too much.
99.Make Moves With Speculative Hands
If you're planning on making a big move like a
squeeze play or a re-raise on an ultra-loose player, it's best to do it with a
hand like 89 suited rather than A6 suited. The reason is that it's hard to get
into trouble with 89 suited. You'll always know exactly where you stand in the
hand and your opponent will never see it coming when it hits. Ace-6 suited is
different. You can get into a lot of trouble with a hand like that. In
addition, your opponent will expect you to have an ace, so you'll either win a
small pot or lose a big one. Not good.
100.Be Aggressive B-E Aggressive - Whoo!
There are winning tight players and there are
winning loose players, but there are no winning passive players. Aggressive
poker is winning poker. However you need to know how to time your aggression.
Blind aggression will cause you to spew chips all over the felt. Knowing when
to be aggressive is the key to winning big in poker.
101.Play To Win
Believe it or not, some people don't play to
win. Some people play to make friends with people who have similar interests
and some people play because they like the "rush" of betting with
their money. There are many reasons why people play poker, but winning players
play because they enjoy winning. Winning players study the game and they study
the players. They play for the challenge and the strategy. They play because
they love to win. The money is just a way to keep score.
