Best Poker Bets

Strategies, Outs and Odds

Simple Strategy

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What matters is not what you have, but what your oppoonents think you have. Likewise, your bets depend on what you think your opponents have or could have. Read the signs!! See it in the Cards!! Sets the scene for a bluff! Both ways => bluff to what your foe thinks you could have!!! See the signs in the bet strategy. Enticing a fold wins every time!!!

Rules: Stick to BOTH cards > 6 (7 or higher) througout, except when only 2-3 players left => Two kicker supported cards doubles your chances of pairs and improves your confidence to bet. Both A & K card pairs with kicker <7, unsuited are weak; suited (are OK, especially A) => play with fewer players only. FLUSHES better than straights as any card will do => Worth a punt early, especially SUITED connected >7. Enter with weaker pairs when few players, especially late. Pre-bet with big pairs, AA, AK and AQ + call with these; AND Pre-bet with premium cards. Trust single pair based on betting, especially with fewer players. Aim to play 3 to 4 players max, as then you have better chances with a high pair.. What people think you have is more important than what you have. Need to boost stack early.

Small binds => look-see with BOTH cards > 7 PLUS 2 or more ways of winning. Choose entry pairs for more than a single pair - Need 2 pair mostly, flush or straight, enter late or when there are fewer players. Too much competition here, so need gun miracle hand. Check the mood, avoid the first few rounds when crazies predominate. Respond to big pre-flop bets by upting the card strength. Often prelude to All-ins.
Player Numbers => Play late with weakers hands and look for natural low player numbers, or Pre-bet with great hands. Low numbers no just chance of higher kicker, but pair, triple, straight chances as well.
Medium => tight with high value hands mostly A,K => 7 suited, plus Q and J with 10.
Late => looser play, bigger card wins => mostly A,K,Q,J and flush => seldom get to river or to complete straights. Fold less, bluff more and bet on second and third pair match ups with small bets to judge competition. Try to Bet against any check, even when no match-up. Any pair => go all-in.

TIPS

1. Play Fewer Good Propect Hands AND Play Them Aggressively => The best approach is to play a tight range of strong and/or playable hands, and you need to play those hands aggressively. Playing all of your hands aggressively, including the more speculative ones like J10, 76 or 55, allows you to disguise the strength of your actual hand.

2. Don't Be The First Player To Limp (just call blig blind) =>

• You can't win the pot before the flop like you could if you raised.
• You give the players behind very enticing pot odds, making it more likely you face multiple players and thus less likely you win the pot
• The only acceptable situation in which to limp is when at least one other player has already limped. This is called over-limping, and it can be a good play because you are getting great pot odds to join the action so you can hit something good on the flop, hopefully.

3. Semi-Bluff Aggressively with Your Draws with Good prospects especially for straights and flushes => This means bluffing with hands that have outs to improve to the best hand on a later street, such as straight draws, flush draws, or even just an overcard or two to the board.

4. Fast-Play/Bet Your Strong Hands to Build the Pot and Make More Money => In most cases, it’s best to bet your strong hands to build the pot and protect your equity. Exceptions:

• It’s unlikely that you will be outdrawn.
• There aren’t many scare cards to prevent you from getting paid on later streets.

5. Bet/defend Your Big Blind or Small (with the Right Hands) => You already have 1 big blind invested in the pot, but everyone expects you to have nothing. You have better pot odds to call than the other positions – think of it as a discount. You can profitably call with many more hands than if you were sitting in another position.

6. Fold When You're Unsure or these are signs => Calling too often and in the wrong situations is the second fastest way to lose at poker (after ineffective bluffs).

7. Attack When Your Opponent Shows Weakness by Checking, but don't be suckered =>Players don’t check with hands that can call multiple bets as often as they should. This means that, when they do check, they usually have a relatively weak hand that will often fold if faced with multiple bets. BUT apply the bird in the hand principle =>if you have a pair there is good prospects of winning with a small bet against it or a bluff.

Pre-Flop Betting Tactics

In some ways pre-flop bets are an advantage as players declare they have a great hand. If you have a good or great hand, they do the job for you in cutting down the competition. Some pre-bet with medium hands especially 2-BB. So only call with a gun hand yourself or medium hand for 2-BB raises. If pre-betting common in game don't play early with a medium hand look-sees and get swamped. Seldom call and wait for natural low player numbers when in late position for weaker hands. Look for natural ways to only enter when few players remain, espeically late.

The reasons to Pre-bet are to cut down the competition so you only have 2-3 players left in the hand. The other reasons are to build the pot and take the initiative.
Position is important. BUT Pre-betting can be costly if you lose so it is best early for 5-8 players.

Early Position => Need gun hand and aim is protecting your gun hand and stack building. With AA the aim is to assess the flop, before going all in and to build the pot, so a smaller pre-bet may have merit => you want players to bet at low cost to you when you have the top pair. Top Pairs can be beaten by rag 2 pairs, straights and flushes- need to kill these off.

Late Position => Essentially protection for gum or medium strength hands and setting high barrier-cost to enter. It is easier to stop people entering than to upgrade their early bid. So late raising the pre-bet a little may not achieve your aim as most will stay unless the re-raise is big. BUT this builds the pot for a gun hand.

Best Hands for Pre-Bet (3 BB minimum for protection)
=> AA KK QQ
=> + TT AKs AQs AJs KQs - middle to late
=> + AKo Aqo AKo KQo - Late with some ealy folds so numbers are down

BET AGGRESSIVELY

Early > 5 players

• Look see early is designed to see as many flops as possible => A, K, Q and 2 cards > 7 combos OR high suited connectors for Flush /Straights. Loosen up with A, K, Q + 2-7 unsuited. when there are few players. Too much competition, otherwise you need a gun hand to win, so bet sparingly. Only pre-bet with gun hands => AA, KK, QQ, AK to test the waters and reduce competition as they win as best pairs. However, playing too tight causes stagnation and over reliance on good hands, so try stuff early. Preserve your stack so that you can play more hands. Pre-bets and failed big bets burns your stack. Try to get to last four with 2000 + chips.
• DON'T CALL = Only Small Bets or Fold => NO calls or checks early, if you can't bet, then fold, except flush & straight possibilities.
• No point in calling => take the initiative and bet. If bet has weak chance of success then fold. A check can be OK to jag a winning combo.
• Only bet small, or check, to complete flush or straight
  Pre-bet on all pairs > 7, High Suited pairs and good other pairs => you wait for good cards to appear so go for it when you get them. This cuts down the competition and is aggressive letting you take the initiative.

Late in Game => Less than 4 players

• Call or Check OK later, play most hands with a winning chance, and so ease up on rules.
• Less emphasis on Straights and Flushes => as too costly to buy the cards
• Any pair is a likely winner, so ride out single pair, any A, K, Q, J top pair has a good chance
• Calling, without raising, is OK as binds are already high, but extra pressure is worthwhile
• Bet aggressively - multiple bets and all-ins

Final game phase => 2-3 players

• Play weaker cards as any pair wins!
• Bluff or small bet on rags when you have 2 high cards and there are no connectors or suited cards. Small bet on 2nd and 3rd pair can induce folds, better than pre-bets.
• Double up when have any good pair combo
• Flop less, play Ok cards, only fold rubbish

General Betting Rules 

Biggest error is assumimg good and great cards will win, Especially pairs, BET SMALL!! Don't conitune with big bet against you => look for flush, straight (up end extensions) and full house signs. Don't forget to read the response in a call or raise against you. Size of bet and how obvious it is to guess what you have are the keys here. Bluffs are rare and mistakes are also rare. Give it Up!! Don't be a sucker going big with a great hand - blinded by the win prospects.

Keep bets small when you can, beware of hidden tripple. But don't be bluffed out of wins either.

Don't call a bet against your obvious good hand, especially a single pair (which is obvious on the flop!!!) or a likely triple with a pair on the board => or a straight precursor GIVE IT UP.

Bet big to protect triples and 2-pairs. Hard to protect single high pair (except late or when there are fewer players as your cards will be obvious to others. An opponent that bets against your best pair, probably has better cards.

Watch out for loser traps => pair of cards on table, three suited cards and straight precursors

Beware of high end straights.

Beware of bet against an obvious straight.

Be careful with big bet against your strong hand => give it up. Bluffing is rare.

Hard to predict better 2-pair or triple, but fold if in doubt rather than risk your stack and the game.

Don't overbid when you have a good hand, only go big to kill off river etc.

If you can test before going all-in with AA, KK, QQ to eliminate straights, flush and triples, but opponents will then see what they can bet with. Don't need to go All-in with AA,KK to win the pot => less risky. All-in works better late in the game and with fewer players. All-ins are very risky when blind. Try not to use them in the end game, better to see the flop except as a surprise packet. Never call an opponents all-in except with AA, KK. The main weapon of an All-in is surprise value, but it is very risky.

Late in game, for last 2-3 players, and low number opponents any pair can win. and bet with any suited card when there are rags in the flop, ALSO try 2 cards >7 bets as well. Less chance of straights and flushes winning as seldom will yiu get to 5 cards. No point in waiting for better cards go for it - what do you have to lose if you are behind!

Heads Up Strategy

Tips

• Any court card is likley a winner, plus second of third pair. Its a high card fest. Less emhasis on second card being > 7
• Open raising or limping nearly all of your buttons
• Raising any face card
• Raising with any pair
• Calling with nearly everything else
• Re-raising with premium hands and medium pairs to mix it up
• Post-flop aggression is also important. Middle and bottom pairs are often enough to win a hand, and top pair is often enough to bet with. Any hand better than top pair should be treated like gold.
• Pre-flop - Suited connectors and small suited cards have now lost a lot of their value.
• Aggression is key in heads-up play. One strategy of heads up play is to be very aggressive and keep leading out with bets and raising your opponents bets. But be smart - you need to use all you skills at reading your opponent and assessing the range of hands they may have and know when to be aggressive and when to back down. The aim is to carry on winning all the small pots, and larger pots where possible, but to avoid taking that big hit.
• Loosen Up - Play 70% of your hands - Tight play works early. When you play heads-up, however, waiting to get paid off with big hands is a losing style. You must post a blind every hand; even if your opponent gives you action when you are holding strong hands, he will win too many small pots for you to have an advantage. You should therefore play most hands. You can't fold the majority of your hands, waiting for a premium pocket pair as you're in the blinds every hand! You'll lose your stack from being blinded out long before you get one of those premium hands, and when you do end up getting one your opponent will know to play cautiously against you. You should be playing around 70% of your hands preflop - a lot more than you would usually play in a 6max or full ring game. When you're paying either the small or big blind every hand, folding preflop costs money so even very weak hands show a better EV return than folding.
• Always enter the pot with a raise.
• You should also semi-bluff aggressively in heads-up.
• Post-flop - with 70% of hands played, chances are that most of the time you've not connected. Therefore, playing a 'fit or fold' style when playing heads-up isn't going to work and will end up losing you even more money than folding every hand pre. This makes bluffing a huge part of heads-up poker and you're going to need to be doing a lot of it if you want to win. Most winning heads-up players make their money from inducing a fold. But your opponent will be bluffing as well.
• STRATEGY AGAINST AGGRESSIVE PLAYERS - Sometimes the best defense is a good offense. If you know your opponent is bluffing too often but you don't have a hand that can call down, bluffing back into them can be a good strategy. This requires a bit more caution than just calling down with showdown value as sometimes they'll have a hand that can call you, and sometimes they might re-bluff right back at you! To make these kinds of moves you'll want to have some kind of equity just in case they do have a made hand.
• If you're unlucky enough to play against a good aggressive player who understands heads-up poker, there is no easy counter to beat them. The only way to beat them is to have a better understanding of the game and exploit any weaknesses in their strategy.
• TIPS ON BEATING TIGHT PLAYERS -Tight players aren't going to be playing enough hands preflop, so we want to punish that by playing even more hands preflop and picking up the blinds as often as possible. Being tight preflop is much more of a leak in heads-up compared to 6max or full ring because of the fact you're in either the small blind or big blind every hand.

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Position

The table below shows how position affects starting hand choice with similar approach to low natural numbers. It shows the merits of the 'no starting pairs with a card <7' [shown in plain text] principle. Need to be tightest in mid-game when blinds are moderately high a player numbers are still high. Early only down to 10 & 9; A & K down to 7 ; Playing late include 8 & 7

A-A	A-K	K-Q	Q-J	J-T	T-9	9-8	8-7	7-6
K-K	A-Q	K-J	Q-T	J-9	T-8	9-7	8-6	7-5
Q-Q	A-J	K-T	Q-9	J-8	T-7	9-6	8-5	7-4
J-J	A-T	K-9	Q-8	J-7	T-6	9-5	8-4	7-3
T-T	A-9	K-8	Q-7	J-6	T-5	9-4	8-3	7-2
9-9	A-8	K-7	Q-6	J-5	T-4	9-3	8-2
8-8	A-7	K-6	Q-5	J-4	T-3	9-2
7-7	A-6	K-5	Q-4	J-3	T-2
6-6	A-5	K-4	Q-3	J-2
5-5	A-4	K-3	Q-2
4-4	A-3	K-2
3-3	A-2
2-2
Any Position
Middle Position (early or late in game)
Late Position
Risky Choice
Red Text 1 card <7

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Player Numbers

Try to play with only 3-4 players, by entering late. You can then play with a far wider range of hands such as A, K, Q + <7 cards and suited linked cards and smaller pairs. Less likely to be beaten by higher kicker. Ease up restrictions with these player numbers.Player numbers is critical to hand success expecially with pair shoot-outs and bets against rag flops.
Success depends on hand strength => play guns against more players but rag two-pairs will often kill you.
Straights and flushes less dependent on player numbers to win and may boost the stack.
Reduce player numbers to 2-3 opponents only by:

• Playing late and only when < 4-5 players remain
• Pre-flop bet to reduce numbers
• Early blinds are low value, and so everyone has a go, small preflops may not work, as rag holders will stay in hoping for 2-pair rags. Pre-bets may stimulate those or want an early all-in shoot out to bulid their stacks. Too much chance involved except when holding a gun hand. Also watch out for the 'cream of the crop' effect with pre-bets.

The table below shows that to have >30% chance of winning for 7 opponents for A K Q J pair combos. 4-5 opponents for J 10 pair combos. For Ace + K Q J combos you need 4-5 players only and Ace T 9 combos you need only 3-4 players. All suited A combos with kicker > 7 have a 30% chance of winning with 4 players. Suited A combos >7 have > 65% of winning. Unsuited A combos > 7 generally score > 60% chance of winning. Unsuited A K Q J with kicker >30% chance of winning with 2-3 players. When playing 1:1 at the end of the game any court card will generally do.

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Only play big cards => fewer losses due to small kicker, more confident to bet, better kicker outcomes and better single pair wins. Watch numbers from late position to keep competitor numbers small => better odds with fewer players, but beware of the 'pick of the crop' factor => fewer competitors but their cards will be better, ie all the Ace hands..
Cards => Looser early, tight middle, loose later A,K,Q J preferred, less adjacent, adjoining.

No Card < 7 => Except A & K combos (suited =red) + Joined
AA AK AQ AJ A10 A9 A8 A7 || A6 A5 A4 A3 A2
KK KQ KJ K10 K9 K8 K7 || K6 K5 K4 K3 K2 (small numbers of players)
QQ QJ Q10 || Q9 Q8 Q7
JJ J10 || J10 J9 J8
TT || T9 T8 T7
Pairs > 7 (others early for triples)
Connected, adjoining a gapper (within 3) cards SUITED & > 7

• Fold all hands with a card less than 7
• Fold Q & J < 10
• EXCEPT A & K pairs suited 6 to 2, but A rag is dangerous as many more A pairs expected => better than yours!!
• EXCEPT Q & J + 9, 8 7, suited prefered with <4 players
• EXCEPT suited adjoining cards or near neighbours => 8-7, 9-10, 2-3-4-5 combos suited, etc (2 ways of winning)
• Late emphasis is on A K Q J as low competition and seldom get to river + Any Pair => any match-up has high value
• Small pairs OK early with small binds => Triples
• Early => single pair in not enough for big bet => double pairs, flushes and straights abound
• Early Preflop Tips: most hands won on doubles, triples, straights and flushes. So need to see as many look-sees as possible (enter most hands when cheap <100, BUT huge competition so mostly do late with few hands remaining). Late entry prevents losing your calls and saves your stack. You need a High Pre-flop to win with a gun hand even AA,KK to get rid of the miracles. Small preflops are mostly designed to build the stack for those with gun hands.
• Post-flop - Take advantage of 'check-fests' against rags => everyone is waiting but has nothing. A moderate bet is a great bluff with a moderate hand. Fewer players means good chance of jagging it. A small bet is worth while if you have overcards or a chance of a straight or flush.
• PUNT with good hand against rags=> If you have big pair of cards with no match up for a ragged flop, its worth a bet as no one will have a high card pair unless they have one in hand. If there are checks go for a bigger bet as a bluff. You will get one of your cards about one in three times and bluffing will win many hands. Clearly you won't have a match-up with high cards against a ragged flop!!! Make small bet on second highest card if players before you all check on higher card. Often they will fold.
• Middle rounds (3-5 players). Play very tight as you need very good cards
• Late rounds (2-3 players). Play any A,K,Q,J pair + any pair in the flop is likely to be a winner. Bold betting + bluffs needed if behind. Big bet rather than All-in can work to save your stack.
• Mostly play small muliple bets => 2 binds or half pot, EXCEPT to stop extra cards to block triples and straights
• If you don't have the Good Cards & Match Ups no strategy will save you EXCEPT pure luck and good betting plays
• If you have a full house or a flush and maybe a straight with no flush possibilities make a very large bet or aLL-in to stop getting beaten!!!!!
• The weakest hand is the Double Blind => use this to advantage. Steal the blinds!!! When its your turn with the Single Blind position, because of your pre-paid discount and the fact that you are the last person to act preflop, you can profitably call with many more hands than if you were sitting in another position. Try to raise from here when you can
• If you have high pair with low stack, and face a rags flop, wait for some checks before going all in. Also, seldom enter an All-in started by someone else, withput you having AA.
• Don't make big calls to complete a flush, and especially a straight. If you lead keep the bets small. Classic loser tactic.
• Slow down!! Takes more time, especially when your winner(?) is bid against.
• If you have a straight and there is a pair on the board and there is a bet against your straight, it could be a triple. With a big bet it is most likely a high end straight OR a full house
• Fold against a major raise against a high pair, straight, triple, even a flush when your likely winning hand is obvious - live another day => most losses occur because you push a 'winning' hand too far!!!! Check ways of winning - bluffing is rare on bigger tables
• The reason for folding pre-flop is to save the stack for better hands => but 'look-see' when you can afford it (early). Position is important, mostly enter late with average hands => fewer competitors but beware of the 'pick-of-the crop' effect, use the bet size as a guide to hand strength. If bets are small, and there are few of them, may be worth a steal. Same applies post flop. If there are rag cards and few players a big bet with any match-up, will often scare them off, even a bluff
• The positive side of folding to big pre-flop raises is that it avoids wasting money on moderate value cards. Size often indicates strength of the hand => they want to avoid competion for moderate hands. If they have gun-hands they will go all-in, or have very high bid.
• Avoid going all-in without a pair => higher the better; also better with 2 higher cards. Pairs have are 2:1 odds. Calling an All-in without seeing the flop is a lottery One option with AA is to mid range bet to see the flop and check for a pair in the flop => triples and for 2 or 3 suited cards => flush or 3 connected cards . But, Of course then, your opponents know what they have when you go all in then. This also builds the pot. An early all-in call pre-flop can yield very little if everyone folds.

Odds from Outs => The 2 & 4 times rule

Note: while the number of cards remaining after 6 players fold on 9 player table is reduced by 12, one or more of your outs may be included so odds remain as for 47 remaining cards.

Multiply your outs by 2 when waiting for the turn or river (4 when EITHER turn OR river)

• A pair or better from two overcards after turn & river (x4) = 3.14-to-1 (24.14%)
  6 outs ; MATH: =1-((41/47)*(40/46))
• A pair from two overcards on next card (x2) = 6.8-to-1 (12.77%)
  6 outs ; MATH: =(47/6)
• A flush from a four-flush hand on the next card (x2) = 4.22-to-1 (19.15%)
  9 outs ; MATH: =(47/9)
• A flush from a four-flush by the river (x4) = 1.86-to-1 (35.0%)
  hit one of the 9 flush cards either on the turn OR the river ; MATH: =1-((38/47)*(37/46))
• A backdoor flush by the river from three suited cards (x 1/2) = 23.02-to-1 (4.16%)
  hit one 10 outs on river and 9 outs on the turn ; MATH: =(10/47)*(9/46)
• A straight from an open-ended straight draw on the next card (x2) = 4.9-to-1 (17.02%)
  8 outs ; MATH: =(47/8)
• A straight from a one-end straight draw on the next card (x2) = 10.8-to-1 (8.51%)
  4 outs ; MATH: =(47/4)

Player Numbers within a Hand or Yet to Decide

Hand entry and continuation can depend on number of players left in the hand, or left to decide.
Fewer players => less competition and can make weaker hands playable (such as A + rag). But be careful as those that remain may be 'pick of the crop' with good hands.

Play from the Button in Poker

Raise on the button (dealer) when you can, especially if all players before the button have folded. This can force folds from the small and big blinds who have random hands. It is important to adjust to the players behaviour. If the players in the blinds are loose or aggressive it is advisable to raise less. If they're tight it means they can generally be exploited more, as they will fold.
Hands suitable for raising on the button

• A K Q J => 7 suited
• A K => 7 unsuited
• Q&J => 9 unsuited
• Pairs >7
• Two ways of winning combos

Strategy 2 - Aggressive

Note: a series of small bets can work wonders and can be quite effective as your opponents may be willing to pay in installment rather than a large amout up front. It is vital to keep the flow going to built expectation in your opponents that you have the best possible draw. What matters is not what you have, but what your opponent(s) thinks you have, OR could possibly have! The number of opponents is vital for outcomes => you need to control this. Two pair minimum with multiple players early when players go crazy. Its tough and very risky to win early without a super gun hand. Straights and flushes are a danger! The exception is when you want to stop access to the turn and river cards or to force a fold. Save your stack!

Below is an aggressive approach based on the traffic lights pairs and a way to dominate your opponents.

Note: While it is worthwhile doing early first round calls while the buy-ins are cheap, to get early "looks and sees" in the hope of getting miracle flops, there are dangers in this. It can lead you to bet for weak hands, which can be very expensive. Cards such as flush / adjacent pairs and A, K rags may be worthwhile. You may be better saving your money for 3-bets and other raises. While you will not be entering many hands, this strategy saves your stack for when there are only 3-4 players left, when you can open up. That is, it is akin to getting to the 'final table'. As always, it depends on the cards you are dealt.

Early MORE than 4 Players => No Card in hand smaller than a 7 except with A, K, Q;
Narrow Set of Cards; mostly 2-3 ways to win

P.S. Don't assume your opponents are stupid => they will be using the same analysis.

• Pairs: 10 or greater AA, KK, QQ, JJ, TT(10 10)
• All A, K, Q combos 10 or greater, Suited or Unsuited
• A9, A8, A7 Suited or Unsuited
• A6, A5, A4, A3, A2 Suited [Less than Four Players]
• K9, K8, K7, K6, K5, K4, K3, K2 Suited [Less than Four Players]
• QT, JT Suited

Bet or Fold => No calls or checks early, except single/double bind & except flush & straight possibilities => low probability

Aim to build the pot + get fewer players left in the hand => get rid of lucky junk hands

Change strategy so sometimes check and call on big hands => don't be repetitive

=> 3 bet, and follow up multiple bets, mostly as harder for others to guess what you have, and will bet smaller amounts. The exception is when you want to stop access to the next card to stop a straight or flush => make them pay.

Late in Game => Less than 4 players

Extras Cards to Above List to Include

• Pairs: 99, 88, 77, [+ 66, 55, 44, 33, 22]
• Any hands with BOTH cards 7 or higher
• A6, A5, A4, A3, A2 unsuited
• Q7, Q6, Q5, Q4, Q3, Q2 suited

Call or Check OK later, play most hands with a winning chance

Less emphasis on Straights and Flushes => as too costly to buy the cards

=> Any pair a winner, so fold less before the flop (any A, K, Q, J top pair has a good chance)

=> Calling, without raising, is OK as binds are already high, but extra pressure is worthwhile

=> Bet aggressively - multiple bets and all-ins

Tips

• Slow down, take all the time you have to review the situation => rushing leads to mistakes escpecially when you appear to be a winner!!!!.
• Avoid little pairs and flush doubling up later, by going big early with good hand => don't limp along when vulnerable in the lead.
• If you are clearly beaten give up unless there are signs of weakness
• 'Look-see' depends on players left in and mood of table (bet size).
• Don't bet against triples if betting suggests it is likely => try a small bet.
• Don't bet on impossibles at the end => you need the edge, unless signs of bluffing.
• Give up when beaten => avoid betting on no hopers
• Don't continue to support a single pair in a betting run => its obvious your opponent has better cards or prospects => check
• At the end => never call to big guy without a pair for All-in.
• Good cards often don't win => learn to give up => play the probabilities.
• Don't go All-in unless you have to - avoid being suckered into a huge bet or all it just because you think you have the best hand - even three Kings => someone my have a better kicker!!!!.
• The only solution to the series of big bets, including pre- and post- flops is to have grest cards. A fair proportion may be bluffs. When one-to-one the big initial bet is designed to draw down your stack - the big guy can afford to lose! Choose your actions wisely and with the odds.
• Biggest losses occur when you push a good hand too far => avoid being suckered to bet against an obvious better hand, the holder may be waiting for you to fall into the trap
• A + 2345 are special because of the A value and straight/flush potential when suited. 2345 combos are similarly special to beat high card A's. A + 6789 are less so, because there is a high chance of someone having a higher A, as most people with an Ace will enter the flop.
• With pairs >7, such as QQ, JJ, TT, wait until the flop to check the chances that another higher pair is likely.
• With AA, KK, QQ try to get value by choosing when to go All-in. If you go Pre-flop the gains are small. If you wait for the flop, and perhaps make a bet, you can build the stack for better gains and you clarify what you are up against.
• 22, 33, 44, 55, 66 are tricky as triples are great but low potential to win the hands. Best early when binds are small or very late when these pair All-ins can win, especially after a round of folds.

Opponent Bet Size signals:

• Big => Has best hand, or bluff to avoid losing, or wants to stop next card in flop, or its a straight out bluff => betting pattern and previous betting in the hand is the key.
• Medium => Has a second best pair, or good chance with next card, or small betting to save stack, or look-see to gauge a reaction => sign of weakness or hesitancy
• Small => sucking in chips when has great hand => look for over size follow up, OR simply trying to keep pot small for next card, OR conservative not wanting to risk it. => Some players are reluctant to bet => depend on 'checks' and calls with big outcome revealed at the end. (check the betting pattern)

Opponent Bets back against your run of bets or small bets,or your best pair in the flop

The response depends on how transparent is your winning(?) position.

• => for simple pair => they recon thay have you beaten
• => for pair in flop => they recon they can beat the tripple
• => they have hidden triple or straight => check straight possibilities
• => they have a flush or flush potential (check for 3 cards of same suit)
• => they have the high end of a straight you have the bottom end for.
• => if you have KK or AA best to go early or very late. If you go after the flop the others can see their triple prospects and pairs including Aces
• => learn to give up against a big bet against you, especially when you have the best pair - obvious to the opponent, the rag 2 pairs will catch you out

=> One to one - run it out - can't wait for good cards, have to work with what you have big bets against you and mostly bluffs.

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Strategy for Various Phases / Stages and Player Numbers

Phase 1. Initial phase with 9 players, small blinds

• The large number of players means it is hard to win. Very good hands are required, you need to reduce the number of players by betting before and after the flop.
• Small blinds provides 'Look-See' opportunities, but A + 6 to 2 and K + 6 to 2 are likely to be beaten. More than one player likely to have an Ace
• Single matched pairs are unlikely to win hands
• Many players will go all-in early to try to fluke a bigger pot => you can lose your bids this way
  better to save your stack until after this 'crazy' phase is over.

Phase 2. Mid-Game generally with 6 players and medium blinds

• Traditional tactics, betting and cards-to-play strategies apply during this phase when there is less volatility
• Best value for smart well sized bets, during this mid-phase.
• Fewer players and so easier to predh4ict your opponents hand range.
• Higher bets can induce early folds to limit their potential for straights and flushes.

Phase 3. Closing Game, generally with 2-3 players with large blinds

• Much greater emphasis on the court cards especially A, K and Q. Betting high on a match for these cards, can induce a fold and win the hand. Any match-up has high win prospects
• More incomplete games are won with a single matched pair
• Less emphasis on Flushes and Straights as it is too costly to bet through to the end of the game
• Pocket pairs also work well, because most of the time any pair will win.

Phase 4. End Game Head to Head - Two Players

• Traditional head to head tactics => Fold or All-in
• Any pair will do
• Bluffing to the Fore
• Get a bet in early and seldom hold
• Work to induce an early fold, with bluffing in the aggressive bet strategy
• pre-fold doubling-up is a good way to build your stack when behind=> cheap bluff
• fold less as any match up even on small cards can be a winner for all-ins

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The Problems with Calling and Checking

Bet => “I have a good hand.”

Call => “I'm unsure of my hand.”

Check => "I'm weak and I can not bet now, I'm waiting in the crowd for the next card to give me the best hand

If you are just calling => No one will fold to your call.

It is also regarded as the most passive play you can make and it gives the wrong message to your opponents.

The worst mistakes a beginner poker player can make is calling almost every hand, and then folding to any pressure from their opponents. They are basically telling everyone how to play them.

If you join the 'Lets Check Crowd' you will have lost any advantage you may have had with an early bet. Better to bet small early and then do a follow-up bet when you need to 'look see'.

Advantages of Betting

=> If you make a bet with an inferior hand, and get your opponents to fold their better hands, you win without disclosing. Being able to win pots with sub-optimal cards is an important tool to have. It's akin to bluffing.

=> Getting your opponent to fold early also keeps them from getting lucky and hitting a better hand on later streets. The benefits magnify for multiple players

=> When an opponent folds, you win the pot 100 percent of the time, and you don't have to worry about variance on further streets.

=> Betting often gets you respect at the table and can impart fear.

=> There is a psychological phenomenon that happens at lower stakes of poker where people assume the person raising frequently is getting a run of good cards. Subconsciously, rookie poker players don't want to play against that player. Keep that theme going by feeding it.

What if Someone Re-Raises Your Bet?

One aspect that players need to keep in mind, when they make an initial bet is that it doesn't preclude them from folding later in the hand. This applies especially if you bet was small and not a major one.

Provided you haven't contributed most of your stack to a pot, then folding is often be the best strategy especially if the situation has changed after cards are added to the flop.

New players tend to think there is shame in folding to a re-raise after contributing chips to a pot. They think it's like getting caught red-handed and raising the white flag. In reality there is no shame in folding everyone does it. Cut your losses.

You could bet nine hands in a row and then fold the 10th one to a raise and >you'll still come out on top if the majority of your bets have been getting through.

In fact, if someone folds 99 percent of their hands, and then suddenly raises, then you can almost guarantee they have something big and you should definitely fold. => There's no shame or loss of face in folding! If you are beaten, so be it.

When Calling is Actually the Right Decision

Calling infrequently can be an excellent strategy. The issue is that new players simply rely on the call too much. It develops a pattern of play that other exploit

• Here are some situations where calling is often the right decision:
• You want to control the size of the pot.
• You want to see a flop for a cheap price.
• You have a premium hand and you're trying to induce betting from your opponent on later streets. Alsoknown as a trap.
• Most new players often get enamored with the idea of “trapping” and will over-utilize the call in an attempt to trick their opponents.

Note: Slow playing (also called sandbagging or trapping) is a deceptive play in poker where a player bets weakly or passively with a strong holding. It is the opposite of fast playing. A flat call can be a form of slow playing. The problem is that trapping is generally fairly transparent. It keeps the pot small when you have a big hand. It's like letting them off the hook easy and letting them get cheap cards. It can still be a viable strategy, but it's important to switch things up.

Don't Be Scared of Betting

The bottom line is that you generally have five choices when the action is on you in a standard game of No-Hold'em.

• Check
• Call
• Bet
• Raise
• Fold

There's a time and a place for all five options. It's important to fold the majority of your garbage hands to protect your stack.

New players generally have no problem with checking, calling or folding, but they tend to struggle with finding the gumption to bet or raise.

You don't necessarily need premium cards. There's a good chance your opponents are getting trash hands just as frequently and may be betting with medium value hands. You might be surprised how often you take down pots with no resistance when betting instead of calling.

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Key Ways to Lose and the Warning Signs and Precursors

Better Pair - Higher Pairs are better A, K, Q, + J

• sign => Higher card in the flop
• sign => small value kicker in your hand

Triples -

• sign => Pair in the flop

Straights - Higher cards are better at top end, someone else may have high end card, This applies when there is a 4 card straight in the flop.

• sign => 2 or 3 connected cards in flop - low risk
• sign => 4 connected cards in flop - high risk
• sign => A and cards 2-5 cards in flop - high risk when running with an A

Flush - A high card in your hand is essential when you have only one card, less so if you have a pair in hand.

• sign => 2 or 3 suited cards in flop - low risk
• sign => 4 suited cards in flop - high risk


Doubles - Very hard to detect, higher cards are better, Rarely can be beaten by a better hidden double

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Guide to What to Look for and Avoid in the Flop

The first question is "Has the Flop helped your opponents?"
The answer lies in guessing what hands or range of hands you think they might hold?
You need to recognise the danger signs by examining the flop and what draws could unfold.

Look for:

Whenever you think your opponent has a likely draw (i.e. he needs one more card to complete his hand), then you must make them pay dearly to see more cards. It is very bad strategy to let him have a free card by checking. The only exception is when where you have the possibility of drawing an even stronger hand your self (ie with a higher suited card.

Flush Draw – Is there a Flush possibility on the flop? (i.e. if there are 2 or 3 suited cards on the flop then someone could have already hit a Flush, or someone could have a Flush draw the the remaining cards).

Straight Draw – are all or most the flop cards adjacent which could give you opponent the chance of holding or developing a straight. Check all the ways a straight can be formed.

Is there a board pair on the flop - for example AA, 10 10 etc. This opens up a lot of possibilities for strong hands, e.g. three or four of a kind, or a full house.

Are you in front Post-Flop? Quickly assess whether you are in a better or worse position post flop. Can your opponents draw to a better hand? If so you need to protect against this? A raise may force them to fold => make them pay. If your hand is very weak compared to hands your opponent may hold then it may be best to simply fold.

If your position is marginal then make your opponents pay to see more cards. Never give them free cards for them to hit a hand which could overtake you with a simple check.

You flop Top Pair - well and good, but beware of the dangers!

First, consider the number of opponents, as the more opponents you have, the weaker your top pair will be if its not AA.

Second, you must consider your kicker value. If your kicker is good, your hand will be strong and worthy of a raise. But the lower your kicker, the more you should be wary about your hand strength.

Third, you must consider any obvious draws or even made hands visible on the flop. For example a straight or a flush. You must consider them on a draw and beware of any draw-completing cards on the turn or river.

Fourth, you must consider the strength of your pair itself. The higher the card you paired (the higher the top card is on the flop), the more comfortable you can be with your hand. If you flop top pair, but that pair is a ten, you need to be concerned about other players staying in with one or two overcards and possibly pairing that card on the turn or river, thus beating your pair. Top pairs (ten and higher) are always worth betting one bet with, but be wary of the 3-bet.

The further you proceed in the hand, the weaker top pair becomes, if it remains unimproved. While it is almost always still worth a bet, it's unclear that it's worth a raise: if another player decides to lead bet at the pot, it is probably wisest to merely call on the river if you only have top pair: a new lead bettor is essentially claiming they can now beat the top pair that you were representing. If it is obvious that a player has made their draw (e.g. made a flush) and there is more than one player left in the field and other players are calling and/or raising, it may even be advisable to fold a mere top pair. The more players in the pot on the river with a flush showing, the more likely it is that at least one of them has a flush, small as it may be.

The 2nd Best Pair Flop

Flopping the second best pair puts you in a risky position of being beaten by the higher pair if some other player has it. You may get an early indication of this from the betting.

It depends on your position, how skilled your opponents are, your image, the number of players in the pot, and the texture of the board.

Early position
=> bet to bluff, pretending that you have the best pair
=> check to see if someone else bets for the best pair
=> bet small to guauge a reaction and avoid losing too much

Late position, all checks
=> assume no one has the best pair, from early betting, and so bet large to bluff for it
=> bet medium and hope for a triple or second pair to flop your way
=> check, rather than raise and hide your pair till the end

Multi-player Pots
=> If it is a multi-way pot with 3 or more people, you shouldn’t be betting second pair. It just risky to assume that no one has the top pair.

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Win / Loss Rankings and Ways to Lose

The table below is a guide for how the win expectancies changes after the flop

Most players and not stupid and so you can expect them to follow the same priciples trying to beat you

RANK	Very Good	Good	Medium	Low
Win / Loss Rank	2 Pair	no sign, but bigger cards better	Lose to higher 2 pair - rare
	Triples	Triples
10	Two in Hand	one in flop	no sign, but big better	rarely beaten
9	One in hand	pair in flop	visible	rarely beaten
Win / Loss Rank	Win		Lose Pairs	Straight, Flush
	Pairs in Hand	Pairs in Hand	Pairs hidden
10	AA			3 in flop
9	KK		AA kick	3 in flop
8	QQ		AA KK QQ kick	3 in flop
6	JJ		AA KK QQ JJ kick	3 in flop
Win / Loss Rank	Win		Lose Pairs	Straight, Flush
	Paired Flop	Win	Lose	Opponents know pairs to match or beat
7	A	A	kick
6	K	K	A, K, kick
5	Q	Q	A, K, Q, kick
4	J	J	A, K, Q, J, kick
4	10	10	A, K, Q, J, 10, kick
	Win		Lose
	2 cards for straight in hand	Win	Lose	Hidden
8 high, 6 med	Connected	3 in flop	Higher card
7 high, 6 med	Close	3 in flop	Higher card
6 high, 5 med	Distant	3 in flop	Higher card
	1 card for straight in hand	Win	Lose	Visible
7 high, 6 med	Connected	4 in flop	Higher card
6 high, 5 med	Close	4 in flop	Higher card
5 high, 4 med	Distant	4 in flop	Higher card
	Win		Lose
	2 cards for flush in hand	Win	Lose	Hidden
9 high, 8 med	A, K, Q	3 in flop	Higher card
8 high, 7 med	J, 10, 9	3 in flop	Higher card
7 high, 6 med	Rags	3 in flop	Higher card
	Win		Lose
	1 card for flush in hand	Win	Lose	Visible
8 high, 7 med	A, K, Q	4 in flop	Higher card
7 high, 6 med	J, 10, 9	4 in flop	Higher card
6 high, 5 med	Rags	4 in flop	Higher card

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Outs and Probabilities

See further information on probabilities

Concept of knowing your outs

The table below shows an example of the outs for various draw hands

Type of Draw	Hand	The Flop	Specific Outs	# Outs
Pocket Pair to Set	2 2	Q + 4 +9	2 2 +	2
One Overcard	A 8	J + 5 + 2	A A A	3
Inside Straight Draw	J 9	Q + 8 + 4	10 10 10 10	4
Two Pair to Full House	K Q	K + Q + 5	K K Q	4
One Pair to Two Pair or Set	A Q	A +10+ 3	A A Q Q Q	5
No Pair to Pair	9 7	2 + 3 + J	9 9 9 7 7 7	6
Two Overcards to Over Pair	A J	8 + 2 + 5	A A A J J J	6
Set to Full House / Four of a Kind	6 6	6 + 7+ J	6 7 7 7 J J J	7
Open Ended Straight Draw	9 8	7+ 10 + 3	J J 6 6 6 6	8
Flush Draw	K J	A + 6 + 8	2 5 7 10 Q	9
Inside Straight & Two Overcards	A K	Q + 10+1 2	J X A A A K K K	10
Inside Straight Draw & Flush	A K	J + Q + 3	10 X 2 4 9 Q	12
Open Straight and Flush Draw	K Q	10 +J + 4	9 X A X 2 3 5 8 J	15

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Outs and Odds

The general rule of thumb for estimating odds from the number of outs is:
your winning odds are approximately four times your number of outs on the flop, and 2.2 times on the turn

Flop to Turn	Turn to River	River	Turn and River	River
Outs	%	Odds	%	Odds	%	Odds
20	42.6%	1.35-1	43.5%	1.30-1	67.5%	0.48-1
19	40.4%	1.47-1	41.3%	1.42-1	65%	0.54-1
18	38.3%	1.61-1	39.1%	1.56-1	62.4%	0.60-1
17	36.2%	1.77-1	37%	1.71-1	59.8%	0.67-1
16	34%	1.94-1	34.8%	1.88-1	57%	0.75-1
15	31.9%	2.13-1	32.6%	2.07-1	54.1%	0.85-1
14	29.8%	2.36-1	30.4%	2.29-1	51.2%	0.95-1
13	27.7%	2.62-1	28.3%	2.54-1	48.1%	1.08-1
12	25.5%	2.92-1	26.1%	2.83-1	45%	1.22-1
11	23.4%	3.27-1	23.9%	3.18-1	41.7%	1.40-1
10	21.3%	3.70-1	21.7%	3.60-1	38.4%	1.60-1
9	19.1%	4.22-1	19.6%	4.11-1	35%	1.86-1
8	17%	4.88-1	17.4%	4.75-1	31.5%	2.17-1
7	14.9%	5.71-1	15.2%	5.57-1	27.8%	2.60-1
6	12.8%	6.83-1	13%	6.67-1	24.1%	3.15-1
5	10.6%	8.40-1	10.9%	8.20-1	20.3%	3.93-1
4	8.5%	10.75-1	8.7%	10.50-1	16.5%	5.06-1
3	6.4%	14.67-1	6.5%	14.33-1	12.5%	7.00-1
2	4.3%	22.50-1	4.3%	22.00-1	8.4%	10.90-1
1	2.1%	46.00-1	2.2%	45.00-1	4.3%	22.26-1