♠ Poker Stories
It's a heck of game, poker - if you're beyond the novice stage, having played some online poker (and maybe not doing quite as well as you'd like), you can sharpen your poker skills significantly by taking a timeout and studying a little bit of strategy.
The hints here are mainly for low-limit games, ie in $5-10 holdem league. With higher stakes, holdem is a different game - when you arrive there, you'll know what you're doing and be able to adjust accordingly.
Holdem Basic Strategies
Texas Holdem is by far and away the most popular poker game - televised events, the growth in online (offshore) casinos has seen to that and with this growth, has come a wave of beginners and new players.
These Texas Holdem strategy guides are designed to give you the basic tools. you won't ever beat the game of poker, but you might do something against the other players...
Ken McCaffey
pokerios.com
It used to be the other way round - but if you’re a online poker player who is maybe thinking about giving casino poker a go - basically, the only thing is to just do it.
You’ve had practice, by seeing a lot of hands at online. At a casino, you’ll probably be competing at a higher limit and likely with a better overall standard against you. Find your level…
But that is where the skill comes. Get beat and learn the lesson - take it back to online and become a better player that way.
There are steals and steals - blind stealing is especially useful in short-handed games, 4, 5, the fewer punters at the table, the lower the probability of getting beat by a forcing better hand.
So…. you’re the button, and the hole cards are dealt. You have a look - and see a pair of sixes. The small blind puts up $5. The big blind puts in their $10. The other player calls and antes up and now it’s up to you.
Good old common sense has just told you to throw in your cards. you’ve got a low pair, the other players seem happy enough with the holdings…
You open your mouth… and ‘all in’ and your whole stack comes out - and on a pair of sixes.
And one by one, they fold - you’ve managed to steal the blinds.
This is a gimmick play - best ventured when you are in a late position, eg dealer. You’re the last to act, you have the chance to observe, you therefore have more information.
The biggest risk when attempting a steal is someone not falling for it and staying in on you - good strategy here to understand the styles of various opponents before pushing it. Here, timid opponents paid off for you - it won’t always.
