Today’s discussion is about poker strategies for players who are new to the game. Some people have never tried online poker before, but they have heard good things and want to try. Everyone starts as a new player at some point. You cannot advance from beginner to expert without some guide or playbook. It is to those players in New Zealand that I speak to today.
Poker Strategies For New and Advanced Players Who Might Need Some Refreshers
1) Fewer Hands
Some people like to dive right in and start playing aggressively. That is the last thing you want to do if you are new. Only those who know what they are doing( expert poker players) should be playing aggressively right away. Most poker games come with a limit to how many hands you can play at once(except Texas Hold Em). Playing too many hands right away is going to bleed you dry. Your stack of chips is going to widdle down to one or less if you play too much. The only time that it does not happen is if you have a lot of luck on your side. I have learned that luck only plays a small role in poker. That means relying on luck too much is going to cost you. One way to improve your strategy is to improve your pre-flop game. You can download plenty of pre-flop charts to look over. The one thing I will warn you about is adhering to the strategy. You have to stick to the plan( similar to how you stick to a budget). You are going to be tested with your pre-flop strategy, especially if you start to win big or get impatient. Do not let impatience drive you to make a bad choice. Sometimes impatience leads a poker player to play a worthless hand. That is why you need to chill and play the hand that feels right. There are going to be times when you have a hand that is tight, strong, and very playable. Those are the hands you can play aggressively, but as long as you know what you are doing.
2) Limping
Limping is another common strategy, but you need to be careful. Experts tell you to not be the first to limp. Limping is when you call out a big blind pre-flop). Most experts argue that no player who enters the pot first should do it. Why? a) There is no way to win the pot pre-flop unless you raise it. b) You are giving the other players better odds. That means the odds of you dealing with many players at once is more likely. That will reduce your chances of winning the pot. The only time you should ever limp is when someone else has already done it. That is what the experts call “overlimping”. Overlimping proves your odds are getting better.
3) Semi-Bluffing Is Bad
It does not matter how good of a draw you have, you never do a semi-bluff. Bluffing and semi-bluffing is something you have to do effectively. That means you cannot just do it for the sake of doing it or to gain the advantage. Some people like to bluff to get the edge. You never do that unless you know for sure you can pull it off. This link about semi-bluffing will give you a better idea of how to semi-bluff and bluff effectively. You need to have something to back your hand in case your bluff is called. That is where some newbies go wrong. They never anticipate that their bluff could be called by a more experienced player. Some beginners like to appear smarter than they are. Yeah, you do not want to do that.
4)Strong Hands
There is always one player who checks their nut flush more than three times in a row. Then, they have to table everything they have(even when it is a great hand) after someone else checks back the river. I know. That is hard for me to understand too. What it means(basically) is the player plays too slow. They are too scared to chase the other player out even if they have a better hand. I hope that made a little more sense to you. Beginner players should position their strong hands to build the pot(that way there is more value). Click here to get a better understanding of what it means to be a slow player versus a fast one.
5)The Big Blind
Every expert poker player knows they have to defend their big hands. This somehow escapes some of the beginner players. You have to defend the pot with the right hands. The big blind is different because you already have one blind invested in the pot. Now, some players might decide to raise you when sitting in the big blind. You are going to be in a better position to call. To get a better understanding of pot odds you can click here to read more. How well you defend your hand and the pot depends on a few things including the raiser’s position, the number of people playing, and the size. Google “how to defend your big blind” and you will come up with many resources to look at.
