Nov

7

The 7 Texas Holdem Strategy Commandments

Filed Under Poker |

You peek down at your cards and see Ace Jack off suit. You wonder “How will I play it this time?”. You decide to call a raise in the big blind after an early position raiser.

The first three community cards are dealt. The cards turned over in the middle are Ace of spades, Deuce of hearts and the Seven of diamonds. You flopped top pair and the pixies rejoice! The bad news is that when all the cards are dealt you lose to Ace King who had you dominated the whole way. You think you played the hand well and forget about it.

Was it your fault or the cards? I would say that in a situation like this it is most often the players own fault. He made a simple texas holdem strategy mistake. No sweat though, it is through our mistakes that we learn.

Texas Holdem strategy doesn’t have to be hard. The hands that evade the TV cameras are usually the more important ones (strategically). These hands aren’t shown on TV because it is too boring to watch for the average joe.

Here is My List with The 7 Texas Holdem Strategy Secrets :)

1. Starting Hands - I know you’ve heard this by everyone on the planet, but it is crucial that you play good starting hands. Especially in any position that isn’t the button or the cut-off. You have to play very tight out of position. This is especially true out of the blinds. Play tight and you will have a good chance of winning. I promise you that!

2. Planning - A professional texas holdem player plans ahead. That means he thinks about the possible outcomes. An extreme example is if you hold A2o. Two players limp and one good player raises. You cannot possibly call here because you will never know if you’re hand is good, unless you flop two pair or better. So think ahead!

3. Poker Tilt - Become aware of your own signs of tilt. I myself get hot and almost start sweating when I become really frustrated at poker. This is a time when I have to take a break or just quit, because if I keep going I will tend to lose money. Why? Because when you tilt your judgment is clouded and you will make some really horrible texas holdem strategy mistakes! Learn to quit BEFORE you start playing bad!

4. Finding the Fish - If you only play with poker players that you have an edge against then the natural outcome will be you winning a lot of money. Learn how to select good poker games and don’t overestimate yourself. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Choose games where you have an easy time winning, and work with people to improve your weaknesses!

5. Bankroll Management - Are you familiar with this texas holdem strategy tip? I recommend you have a minimum of 20 buy-ins for the stakes you’re playing. I prefer over 30 myself. Read about proper poker bankroll management and apply it! If you avoid this, then you avoid success.

6. Use Everything - I know many mediocre poker players who have some kind of block. They refuse to take coaching or discuss hands, because they are afraid to show their weaknesses. Well what the … ? How can you improve if you do not talk about your mistakes? I myself try to embrace my mistakes because they are the things that will make my texas holdem game good! Don’t avoid discussion and coaching, please. If you do then your odds of ever becoming a good poker player go way down.

7. Enjoy Yourself - Remember to enjoy yourself while you play and learn. We humans learn faster when we’re having fun. I don’t want you to ever stop having fun when you’re playing poker, because when that happens then it’s just another hobby that lost its magic. I’ve had that happen to me a couple of times. I played too much or I focused on the money too much and it lead to me not playing poker for 4 months. Now I try to balance poker and fun more and so far so good.

More free and amazing texas holdem strategy articles can be found at Texas Holdem Poker 101.


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