One Minute Poker Tips

Don’t Bluff Pot Committed Opponents

If you want to bluff someone who already has most of their chips invested in a pot, you will likely not be able to scare them away with a big raise. For example, in a pot where my opponent has invested 500 chips and he only has 100 chips left, putting them all in will not likely make them fold unless they have absolutely nothing and they just tried to pull a bluff on you. I would say that 90% of players call if they are pot committed, even when they don’t have the greatest hand. Don’t bother bluffing under those circumstances.

Adapt to the play styles of others

When you join a poker table, play tight. This will give you time to study how people play, and gage the general aggressiveness of the table. Once you figure that out, then you can adapt your play style in consequence. Generally when the table is tight you should push people around, bluff, steal pots and blinds. If the table is loose or players are calling stations, then you should play tight because it will be much harder to get away with a bluff.

Don’t play too many hands

A common mistake in Texas Holdem is to call a bet on the first betting round when really, you should be folding. People do this because they want to see a cheap flop in hopes to get lucky, and they’ll do it with pretty much any hand. The probabilities of hitting the flop are already low to being with, but what happens when a subsequent better raises? Do you feel obligated to call? And what if you do and hit nothing when the flop comes? You’ll have to fold anyway. Playing to many hands is like throwing your money away, so unless you are in a position where you can really afford to do so, don’t do it.

Raise Against Check-Callers

When a person checks, then and you bet, and they just call your bet, it’s often an indication that they don’t have a strong hand. On the next betting round, try to make them fold by making a nice raise. If they didn’t get a card that helped them, they’ll usually fold. You’ll win more pots by being aggressive against those who are trying to see free cards.

Pot Odds Are Nice But…

If you play Texas Holdem, you should be able to calculate pot odds in your head as this is a mathematical representation of the hand at play. It serves as a guide to what you should do on your turn. However, keep in mind that poker is more than simple mathematics and statistics: It’s a people game. Don’t rely solely on pot odds to make your decisions.

Don’t Fall in Love With Your Hand

A great starting hand is only great if the flop favors it. In Texas Holdem for instance, a lot of players will start out with A-K which is a very strong hand, and they will raise pre-flop. That is a good play. When the flop comes and reveals low cards, perhaps suited, perhaps connected, then A-K isn’t that great in this particular hand. Unfortunately, some players keep being aggressive, even when facing reraises and calls from tight players. Sometimes, they’ll even put all of their chips at risk, and loose. If this is happening to you, my advice is simple: consider pot odds.

Know When to Fold

Listen to Kenny! He knows what he’s talking about when he’s singing about folding your hand. In poker, we all know that bluffing is a significant component of the game. It doesn’t mean you can bluff anyone at any time on every hand. Sometimes, you get yourself in difficult situations and when it’s getting too expensive to find out more, the right play is to give up the hand. You’ll loose some chips in the process, but you’ll protect your remaining stack by not putting even more chips at risks in a situation where you don’t even know where you stand, and when you don’t have much hope of winning should you get called.

Raise! Raise! Raise!

It is critical to raise in poker. You should be raising or folding much more often than simply calling. By raising an opponent, you can win the pot two ways: By making them fold, or by having the best hand. If you simply call, then you must have the best hand in order to win. Additionally, a raise is helpful in obtaining information about your opponent’s hands. More specifically, how they react to your raise will give you an indication of the strength of their hand.

Table Position is Important

Depending on where you sit at the table vs where the dealer button is located, you may have advantages or disadvantages. Learn what they are and use them! When sitting in the button position, you’ll get to see how everyone else acts before you make your play (after the flop). This is a huge advantage, and it’s a great position to steal pots and blinds. When you are in early position, conservative play works best. When you are in blinds position, you have money already invested so pre-flop aggressiveness is often warranted. It’s also not bad spots to steal pots, but other players may give you less credit for you hand based on your position alone.

Play the Right Limits

Generally, the higher the limits are, the more experienced your opponents are. It’s only natural to play higher limits as you improve over time, but if you make that transition too fast, it may cost you. If you play poker to win money, you’ll have more success playing against people that are less skilled and experienced than you. If you are not winning at the current limit games you are playing, try moving down in limit. The competition will probably be weaker. If you find yourself winning most of the time, try to move up in limit.