While the majority of the focus of this site is on Australian online casinos, there are many of you that love online poker. Texas Hold’em is easily the most popular form of poker in the world and the #1 game at online poker sites.
Today, we are going to give you five strategy tips that will help you win more often at Texas Hold’em. These tips are great for beginners who are just learning the game or those that are finding it difficult to win consistently.
Loosen Your Starting Hand Requirements in Late Position
Position is one of the most powerful tools you can use in Hold’em. That’s because the later you act, the more information you have from your opponents. As such, you can also loosen your starting hand requirements.
Some hands that you may not play in early or middle position are now great hands to raise with. This includes small pairs, any big ace (A-K, A-Q, A-J), any suited ace, any non-suited ace A-8 and up, any two face cards, and most suited connectors.
Playing from late position allows you to take control of the hand and even control betting for the rest of the hand.
Learn to Identify Player Tendencies Quickly
If you want to improve your skills of reading people, you need to pick up on player tendencies quickly. Within two to three orbits, you should be able to get a good idea of how a player is acting at the table. That player who has only played three hands and showed big hands each time is a rock. The player to your right that is raising every third hand and betting aggressively is a maniac player.
Identifying player tendencies quickly will allow you to adjust your strategy when playing them. You might try and steal the rock’s blind more often while waiting for a solid hand against the maniac to punish them.
Continuation Bet More in Texas Hold’em
A common mistake I see made at the poker table is a player raising pre-flop and then shutting down after the flop. Often, a bet by the raiser on the flop will take down the pot. This is called a continuation bet. You’re continuing the action from before the flop.
Continuation bets serve two purposes. First, they help you take down the pot quickly when players miss the flop and they help you determine your hand strength. If you continuation bet and a player calls, they could be on a draw or have a small piece of the board. When they raise, they likely have a hand or a monster draw. Depending on your hand and how well you hit the flop, you can determine the best course of action to take.
Mix Up Your Betting
When playing online poker, you want to avoid getting into betting patterns. Smart online poker players will quickly spot betting patters just like a blackjack player counts cards. To avoid these patterns, mix up the ways that you bet. Don’t bet the same amount every time you hit a hand and throw in a few bluffs from time to time.
Mixing up your patterns will help keep your opponents guessing. Adversely, you can also use betting patterns against your opponent. For example, if you always bet when you hit the flop, your opponents will pick up on this. Make some random flop bets as bluffs and watch your opponents fold.
Change Gears in Texas Hold’em as Appropriate
If you play the same way throughout a poker game, you are going to become predictable. As such, you need to change up your play from time to time depending on the situation. If you have a table that’s playing snugly, consider becoming more of a maniac. Do you have a lot of maniacs at the table? Consider rocking up to take advantage of their loose play.
Changing gears will help you take advantage of changing game situations and help keep your opponents guessing as to what you’re up to. This is an important concept for tournament play as you need to mix up you play to have a legitimate shot of winning.