Poker Strategy

Texas Hold'em Strategy

Clearly you enter a Texas Hold'em tournament to win – but knowing how to go about doing that isn't so easy. Here's a couple of Texas Hold'em Strategy tips that will get you on the right road to understanding what is necessary in order to become a winner.

Don't be afraid to bust out

You must remember that you don't get rewarded for the most number of hands you finish; you get rewarded for the most number of chips you have. There's no reason to stay in a hand because maybe it'll give you something. If it's not likely, bust out as quickly as possible and kiss your ante goodbye. When it looks like you have a real hand that is likely to do something; that's the one to play. It takes a lot of early bust outs to make up the amount you win in a big pot, so don't worry, it's slow leakage versus a mass flood.

Be Aggressive

For the most part, the more teeth you show the more people are weary of you. The more people are weary of you, the more chips you're going to get. Your actual position need have no bearing on the level of power you use in your play – in fact; they can be directly opposed to each other. Let's say you're in a pre-flop short stack situation, with a medium strength hand; the person before you has raised, what do you do? You might be tempted to go all in – that is the traditional "aggressive" response; but wait and think a minute. If you go all in, the original raiser will surely call; you're giving him no option. With a medium strength hand this may not go well for you, so think again. A better option is to call him – only when you are first to act should you go all in. The idea here is that you cause the original raiser to doubt his hand, whilst not actually threatening your own position. He may even end up folding out, because of the flop if it's not great for him, giving you a sizable win, but more importantly, making you in control of the game.

Being aggressive isn't necessarily about being hostile or violent in your play, rather it's about being in control of the table, and manipulating everyone else's responses – once you can do this, you'll find yourself deeper into tournaments, and deeper into the money.

The General Idea

There are many different situations that may come with different advisable responses, but always bear in mind that your opponent may have read the same Texas Hold'em Strategy book that you read. The single most important point in mastering Texas Hold'em Strategy therefore isn't related to knowing responses, but is to do with your mindset and attitude. You have to control the table, control the chips, especially the ones that aren't yours – once you've done this, and internalized this, you will find yourself to be a Texas Hold'em strategy guru.