If you have the best of it on additional money going into the pot,
you should try to maximize the additional money going into the pot.
If given the money in the pot by the end you have odds to chase, you
should at least call. Keep in mind that betting or raising will
often give you additional ways to win the pot. If you don’t have
odds to chase or bluff, you should fold.
Poker Strategy - Dynamic Hand Value
I have received a lot of questions regarding this topic, so I am going to dedicate an entire article to it. Most advanced players know that Sklansky hand rankings (or my hand rankings for that matter) are not set in stone but are rather general guidelines for ranking hands. This is because hand value fluctuates greatly depending on the number of people in the pot. Many people are not quite sure how to treat their starting hands when the game’s dynamic fluctuates between loose/tight and thus affecting the number of people in the pot. The answer to this dilemma lies with what type of hand you hold, and how many players this type of hand is suitable against.
In blackjack, everyone grimaces at being dealt a 16. It’s the worst possible hand and odds are you are going to lose your money. The holdem equivalent to a 16 is a 27, which is considered the worst possible hand. However, with a 27, odds are you will lose nothing (because you will fold preflop) or just your blind. In fact, I don’t even mind being dealt 27 because I know what it’s worth. I’m much more afraid of being dealt AA because that hand has the potential of costing me a lot of money. The paradox that a good hand is to be feared much more so than a bad one centers on the most important concept of poker: Relative Hand Value.
Probability is a huge factor in texas hold ’em. Players use odds to determine their actions. The chances of finishing a flush or a straight, the probablity of getting an overcard, the percentage of times you’re going to flop a set to match your pocket pair are all important factors in poker. Knowledge of these statistics is key to winning. In online games especially with very few (if any) tells, statistical knowledge becomes the main factor when choosing whether to bet, call, or fold.
“If the blind lead the blind,
both shall fall into a ditch.”
— Jesus of Nazareth
Limit poker not only begins as a struggle for the blinds, it normally ends there. In very loose games, starting hand selection, betting strategy and pot manipulation become more important, but in moderately tight-ish games, and tough aggressive ones too, the core of the entire battle comes down to a struggle for the equity of the blind bets.
“Nothing is more desirable than
to be released from an affliction,
but nothing is more frightening
than to be divested of a crutch.”
— James Baldwin
Suppose playing Texas Holdem you are under the gun with a marginal hand like KJo. What should you do? Some learning players would immediately consult their starting hand charts, either literally or in their memory, and then decide what action to take. Unfortunately, rigid adherence to artificial charts is the root of ruin of many people who might otherwise become quite good poker players. A lot of these players may in fact become winning players, especially in rake games where the house takes its cut from the pot rather than equally from each player, but I suggest most players relying on starting hand charts are either doomed to never be much good at poker, or will end up as merely mediocre.
“One of the healthiest ways to gamble is with
a spade and a package of garden seeds.”
— Dan Bennett
“Poker” is not like “chess” where a clear picture appears from just one word. Besides “video poker” and “poker runs”, which hijack the word into unrelated territory, there are many forms of poker. These different games feature some cards face-up, some face-down; sometimes you get more cards all at the same time, sometimes you get one at a time; sometimes you share pots; sometimes you try to make high hands, sometimes you try to make low. Different poker games have many different features.
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