Friday, June 26, 2009

Top Poker Strategies

A lot of people wonder what the best poker strategies are and usually those are people without very much experience in playing poker and often they also do not apply accepted poker strategies correctly. Often the mistakes in applying poker strategy are because the player is not aware of how to apply them correctly or they are just totally outmatched by a player or players who know and understand these strategic applications to the game because they have more experience than the average Joe. Why don’t we get started now on learning some top poker strategies and how to apply them correctly?

Position in a poker game is perhaps the most important Strategy to learn. The reason that position is so important is because where you are at the table in relation to the action at the table will play a key role in how you play out your hand. The further you are seated away from the initial action will allow you to determine your chances in a hand and what cards may have been played by the other players, which will allow you to more accurately calculate your odds of winning the hand.

Psychology is the second most important strategy in a poker game. There is a lot more going on in a poker game than just simply playing the cards you are dealt. You also have to be able to play the players at your table. Every player is different in one way or the other and their psychology is important as to how they play their hands. If they are upset, or happy, or moody, or even sick it can and will affect their play. Knowing the best way to beat them psychologically is a great weapon to have in your arsenal.

Personal knowledge of the players at your table is a very important strategy you can use to your advantage in a poker game. All players whether they are experienced or not have habits that is unique to themselves. These habits or quirks are known as tells and knowing your opponents tell’s can be an excellent way for you to take advantage of your adversaries and win the pot.

Patience is absolutely one of the most important strategies to apply in poker. While it is easy to understand the importance of patience it is often hard for a player to apply this strategy. To be a consistent winner patience along with position, psychology, and personal knowledge of your opponents is ultimately the best poker strategy and a winning combination of weapons for any poker player to possess.

3 Poker Strategies

Whatever the type of poker that you like to play be it Texas Hold em, five card draw, or stud poker there are many different strategies that you can employ to make your playing both fun and profitable. There are strategies that anyone from a beginner to the most well known poker pros both use although poker strategy differs with regard to live and online play.

The reason that most of the professional players are so good and are profitable in the world of poker is that they do use strategies within their playing style and even a playing style is part of a strategy but the knowing and playing the odds are part of their strategy as well. Let’s take a look at some poker strategies and see if you can find one that fits you.

Deception is a time honored poker strategy that is employed by almost all of the great players. Playing poker deceptively is done to make the opposing players play their game differently than they would otherwise. Bluffing is just such a deception and if it is successful it will prompt a player with a hand superior to yours to fold and give you the winning hand. Slow playing is another deceptive form of play and is the exact opposite of bluffing. A player slow plays with a strong hand and bets low forcing a large bet by the other players and then taking down the pot.

Position is another strategy that professionals employ. A good player will attempt to seat themselves so that they are not forced to be one of the first to bet and are able to observe the play from other players. A player in the right or later position is better able to discern what cards an earlier player may be holding by their reactions. Also when a player’s position becomes better then the cards that that he can play for a profitable hand increase as well.

Reading hands or opposing players tells is another excellent and employed strategy that pros use to their advantage. All players have tells in their style of play and if you watch long enough you will ultimately spot these tells and be able to use them to your advantage. A player’s tells will often be little habits that they have and are often not conscious of. For example they may look down or exhale heavily when they have a weak hand. Subsequently knowing a players tells wi