Poker Strategy

There are many varieties of poker and even more viewpoints on which Poker Strategy is the correct one to apply to each game.

In No Limit Texas Hold'em there are folks that believe tight is right is the proper poker strategy and others that think Loosey Goosey is the only way to have a shot at winning. Selecting the poker strategy that works best for you is not as easy as it sounds. Levels of aggression are also important as you can be passive and loose or aggressive and loose. In general, but not always, aggression is favored over passivity when it comes to poker. A lot of players think that being able to change gears from one tyle to another is more important than picking one that you feel most comfortable with. To a degree this is correct, because you always want your opponent to be a step behind. However, until you learn to master all styles it's probably better to learn how to skillfully play one way and then branch into other techniques.

If you are a player that likes to bluff a lot you may be inclined to think that loose aggression is the playing style that best influences your poker strategy. Obviously, you'll never play just one way for an entire session. Sometimes, it's more profitable to let another loose aggressive player do the betting for you, sometimes you'll look for the right bet size that gives him room to try and bluff you off the pot when you have a great hand, and sometimes you have to let a tight player catch up. A lot of it depends on situations, which is why it is so hard to definitively suggest one type of action for all hands.Unlike a game of free online bingo, cardgames like poker take skill as well as blind luck to come out on top. Most of the styles are general applications. For example, a loose aggressive player is hoping to steal hands off of tighter opponents who have average hands and can lay down to aggression. Their hope and their intention, with the application of this technique, is that they'll get called down by a weaker hand that is tired of them steamrolling the table. In general a tight player, who is also a good poker player, is seeking to get to showdown with the better hand. A tight player might advertise his good hands by showing his table mates even if it doesn't come to showdown. The tight player's hope is this will allow him to steal some later. Sometimes a challenge for a player like that is the tendency for loose players to play back at him. Also, it's a hard poker strategy to employ if hands never come. As mentioned if you like to bluff a lot you may be drawn to the first style of poker strategy, but if you are a bad bluffer, you'll just be giving away money at a faster clip. You might actually find that starting a session as a tighter player will allow you to bluff for bigger pots later as your table image is firmly established.

The next considerations are bankroll, opportunities, and table dynamics. If you are on a small bankroll you can decide to either go for broke, and often times find yourself broke, by trying to accumulate a lot of chips quickly or just play to win something and then chase the final table. The first is high risk and high reward is usually better afforded by the player that has a big bankroll and a lot of opportunities to employ it. Generally, the small bankroll suggests a tight is right mentality, and winning some money is the goal not winning all the money. Let's say you are an online player that usually plays fast and loose, it makes a lot of sense if another table or tournament is just a click away. If you are the same player, but playing in a live tournament you drove three hours to get to and no other game but that one, you might readjust because it's your one chance to play poker. Table dynamics also can dictate the action. If you are getting three bet every time you put a raise in by maniacs you might have to call off your chips earlier with a weaker hand, even if you intended to play tight, or you might want to wait for bigger hands, even if you intended to play loose.