Poker Strategy – Online Poker Strategy
This is our poker strategy section. There are just over thirty different articles for you to choose from to better your game. If your interested in submitting an article to be published in our poker strategy section please feel free to email your article to info@pokerreviewbonus.com
6 Max Games vs HU vs Full Ring
There are a few different options when playing cash games, but how do you know which one is right for you? This article will compare and contrast between these common cash game formats. Don’t know what type of game is best for you? Take a look and see what game best fits your playing style.
Tilt, something so common in poker that one of the largest poker sites is named after it. But what is tilt, how and why do players go on tilt, and what can help eliminate tilt? These are the types of questions that most players have. This article will help get you one step closer to a tilt free game.
Rakeback is one way that online players supplement their bankroll. It is a huge benefit and one of the easiest moneymakers in all of online poker. Many players, however, abuse rakeback to the point where they are no longer profitable. Learn how to avoid these pitfalls and make rakeback work your advantage.
Proper raise sizes pre flop and how to adjust
Learning how to raise pre flop, correctly, is one of the most important skills for any aspiring poker player to learn. Pre flop fundamentals are the foundation for almost every other skill in poker. Sometimes these fundamentals will need some tweaking, however. Raising pre flop is both a science and a math.
Perhaps the biggest advantage to playing online poker vs. live poker is the ability to multi table. Multi tabling allows players to multiply their profits and get a large volume of hands in over a short period of time. With all of these benefits available, there are still ways that multi tabling can be detrimental to any player’s win rate. Learn to avoid the downfalls while reaping the benefits of multi tabling.
Importance of isolation pre flop
It is a common mistake for players to want multiple players involved when they are dealt a monster hand. At the surface it may seem like a good idea to have many players in the hand because there would be more money to be won. Upon further examination, however, players will be able to see why it is much more important that they narrow down the field when dealt a strong hand.
Have you ever wanted to quit a session early because you were off to a hot start? You are not alone. In reality, ending a good session too early is one of the worst possible things you can do. It might be easier to keep playing when you need to make back what money you have lost, but it is a better strategy to play more when everything is going well.
There will be many sessions where your profit exists only because you were able to make a solid fold at one point in the session. The losses that you save will often serve as your profit. As great as this might sound, it can be very hard to actually make these solid folds when the time comes.
An over bet is just as it sounds, a bet that is over and beyond what would be idea. Most experienced poker players know not to make them, but some of the best players don’t know how to react when other players make them. Are they bluffing? Is this ridiculously huge bet being made purely for value? These are the questions that players often struggle with.
Double barreling is when you make a flop bet that gets called, and then another bet on the turn in a second attempt to take away the pot. Both of these bets are made as complete bluffs. While it is not the most advanced skill in poker, it certainly requires a solid understanding before it can effectively be implemented.
Once you understand how to use a double barrel you will want to learn how to properly make triple barrels. The triple barrel, however, is much more difficult to pull off than its double barrel counterpart. Triple barrels should only be used by advanced players who are extremely confident in their hand reading abilities. There are certain times where a triple barrel is effective and other times where it is useless.
Check raise, exploiting players who can’t fold
The check raise is an invaluable tool for poker players, but when facing a loose opponent it becomes even more valuable. The purpose of a check raise is usually to get the most value possible from a strong hand in the easiest way possible, loose players make this very easy. There are small differences between how and when to check raise a loose player vs. a standard player, but they definitely exist.
Players often let their ego get in the way of making the best decision. Curiosity will lead players to make calls that they probably know they shouldn’t be. Calling when you have a very weak hand means that you only beat a complete bluff. Picking out these situations can be very hard to do, and for this reason it is generally a good idea to consider folding more than you consider calling.
C-betting is continuation betting. Continuation betting can be done for both value and when you have nothing. This multipurpose capability allows players the opportunity to win pots on the flop when they miss, or begin the process of extracting value on all three streets. In a perfect world c-betting would allow players to win every single pot on the flop; while this is not possible, a solid c-bettor can make quite a bit more than someone who makes ineffective c-bets.
Bet sizing on the flop, turn, and river
Poker is a very situation dependent game. The bet that you make on the flop will be different than your turn bet and your turn bet will be different than your river bet. It can become a bit of a challenge deciding just how much to bet on each street. Understanding these fundamentals will allow you to get the most from your hands.
Determining your opponent’s range
If you have ever gotten lost in a hand on the river, it is likely because you were unable to put your opponent on a hand. More important than knowing your own hand is having an accurate idea of what your opponent is likely holding. Once you are able to put players on a somewhat narrow range you will be able to play against them in the best possible way.
Being the aggressor
Poker is war on a card table. Would you enter a war without enthusiasm or aggression? Of course not, you would attack with everything you had. Being the aggressor at a poker table means utilizing every weapon available to you, while understanding each and every weapons time and place. It is crucial to every poker player’s success that they take a smart, aggressive approach to the game.
Bankroll management
There have been numerous players that fall through the cracks due to their inability to properly manage their bankroll. Bankroll management is easy to understand, but is much harder to stick to. Temptation to play outside of your roll can often be overwhelming. The ability to maintain a strong level of self discipline is the key to bankroll management.
Blocking bets are a nice tool for players at the lower limits. As you progress in stakes the effectiveness of blocker bets will diminish. Even at the lower limits it is crucial that tools are applied correctly. Blocker bets are an easy to concept to understand and easy to implement. Finding spots to use blocker bets is generally pretty easy, once you identify these spots it is all about bet sizing.
Bluff vortex
If you have ever put all of your money in the pot, but don’t know how it happened, there is a good chance that you were sucked into the bluff vortex. The bluff vortex just happens and it is difficult to explain. Ego plays a big factor, but players will also make choices that they know they shouldn’t for no apparent reason.
Downswings
Downswings are an unfortunate reality of the game. The difference between a winning player and a losing player can often be seen in how they handle a downswing. Good players learn how to cope with a downswing while bad players make excuses that only prolong them. It is impossible to simply “stop” a downswing, but there are many ways that a player can help get back on track.
Turn check raise, an extreme indicator of strength
Have you ever been confused when you were check raised on the turn? It is likely that you have been at some point or another, and it is with good reason. Deciphering what a turn check raise really means can be a challenge. Some players will make a turn check raise as a bluff, but more often than not a turn check raise is strictly for value. It can be tough to lay down a hand on the turn, but it will help skyrocket your profits.
Floating is a tactic used to help steal away pots when you feel that a player is likely bluffing. Floating is a good way to push players who you think are bluffing out of a pot because it is cost effective. Floating allows players to make their bets, but then you can exploit them by simply calling those bets and taking the pot away on a later street.
Why you should never open limp
Frequent open limping is a deadly leak in any player’s game. It will slowly drain money out of any bankroll. It may not seem like a big deal to call the big blind (as opposed to raising or folding), but when you consider the alternatives to open limping it becomes obvious why open limping is a terrible choice. Open limping is a leak that appears small but is actually very large.
There is much more to calculating odds than considering what is already in the pot. Playing a hand while considering what money can potentially be won is just as important as playing a hand while considering money that is already in the pot. Poker is all about planning ahead, and this is exactly what implied odds are used for.
Before the advent of online poker, equity and EV were understood only by the most advanced players. Today, however, even low stakes players know what equity and EV are. It is important that any poker player is able to judge their equity in the hand and what the most +EV play would be given the situation. Equity and EV tend to intimidate players, but they are not all that difficult to understand.
Stop losses
Stop losses are not going to lead to profits, but they can help reduce losses. Players tend to ignore the concept of implementing a stop loss and as a result they will often pay dearly. Stop losses are all about setting ego aside and focusing on what is best for your bankroll as a whole. A stop loss serves as a band-aid for any poker player who is serious about their game.
Value betting
Value betting is the tool behind any bet that is made with a strong hand. Any player can be dealt a strong hand, but it takes a good player to get the most value from it. The ability to judge your hand’s relative worth will allow you the opportunity to make effective value bets.
3-betting ranges, 4-betting ranges, and giving up
Making a 3-bet or a 4-bet is easy to do, making a 3 or 4-bet with the proper hand is much harder. Some players will make 3-bets with hands that should be folded, while others will call with hands that should be 3-bet. It can become quite a task to determine exactly which hands should be 3-bet and 4-bet, and even harder to decide when to just give up.