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Poker strategies are vast. Player use them to increase their chances of winning, to minimise loss and to manage their bankroll. In this article, we will discuss the most common strategies in poker.
What type of poker player are you? You may be the type of person who changes tactics every time. You may be the type of player who is tactical and employs strategy, or you may be ready to try some out. If you are the latter, read on as we give the most common strategies used in poker games.
Learn different ways to play
If you play with the same poker style, you become predictable. A good opponent will be able to read you and calculate your moves. Being able to adapt your styles of play, often within a game, is a great strategy to have. You should consider signing up to a quality online provider like Betway Casino, then practise these techniques using the bonuses they have on offer. This means you can experiment without using your own bankroll for a short period of time.
Generally, the different ways to play can be broken down into four different areas.
Tight is when you play with a low level of risk. You play a few hands and don’t gamble huge amounts even when you do.
Aggressive is when you start to go for gold on the table. You will put into lots of pots, raise, and put players with dwindling bankrolls under pressure to bet. If you are a new player learning different play types, start with the switch from tight to aggressive, mixing it up when you feel the need to catch others at the table off guard.
Loose is the third method. It sits between tight and aggressive. You begin to play lots of hands and start to gamble more with bigger amounts.
Passive is the hardest to do and requires a large amount of discipline, mainly because it hands control to the other players. You will start to call more often than making a bet. It is useful because you can lure other players into a false sense of security before bluffing your way to a win.
Balancing tightness and aggressiveness
Being aggressive is the only real way to win money in poker. This builds pots that pay. Start by being aggressive on any strong opening hand, such as a pair or cards that are A-King. Identify players that have weak pots and begin to get aggressive with them, forcing them to give up their funds. The more people are pushed out, the more money is around the table with fewer people to win it, meaning you are more likely to accumulate wealth at the table.
However, go aggressive on everything and you will soon have nothing left. People will also see you as an aggressive player, and you will have trouble bluffing on anything. Thus, balance it with tight play.
Most hands you get will be lost due to the law of average. The best bet is to fold on poor hands right from the start. Use this time to survey your opponents, getting a feel for their play styles. When you do have a good hand, switch to an aggressive play style.
Manage your position
The reason the dealer changes in poker is that it offers a tactical advantage so is shifted between players. Ideally, being the last person in a round is the best place to be as you can see what moves the other at the table have made. You should consider making more hands when in this position, and relax the criteria for betting depending on how many people are still in. For example, if everyone folds except one person, you may go on with a weaker hand as you have a better probability of a win. If more people are in, you may just continue with a strong hand as the chances are a few of them have strong cards.
These tactics are basic but effective. Try to master them and you should see your game improve substantially. You can then move on to more advanced tactics.
