An Advanced Texas Hold’em Strategy

Texas hold’em is a popular game played by many different kinds of people. With so many different people playing the game there becomes many different styles of play. The different styles in Texas hold’em range widely from maniacs to rocks. When you begin playing poker you work your way in to a category that you feel comfortable with. I call it your comfort zone. Most people are on the top of their game when they are in their comfort zone but begin making mistakes when they are shoved out of it.

Moving people out of their comfort zone can be a very profitable move when done correctly. This can also hurt your bankroll if you are unsuccessful. I cannot stress enough the importance of being experienced before this strategy is attempted. Many would be great poker players disappear by trying to move to quickly and falling on their face.

The first thing is, you must be able to identify the way a player is playing. If a player is in every hand and raising everyone he is probably being aggressive. He could possibly be a maniac. It is possible that he is on a very lucky streak of cards also which is why you must be able to get a good read on your table. If a player has been sitting at the table for twenty hands without seeing a flop he could be a tight player. Again he could also being getting a lot of bad cards.

Another talent you must have is being able to switch styles of play. You must be comfortable being aggressive or being tight. If you are not this plan could backfire by removing yourself out of your comfort zone. If you are a tight player and have a tough time being aggressive this is not a strategy you are ready for. I emphasize this to ensure I do not get hate mail that my strategy caused someone to go broke.

A tight player often limps in to the pot meaning that he only pays the minimum to get into the hand and only raises with premium holdings. Once in the pot they bet small or call with most hands and can be passive about laying their cards down. Against this player making money can be difficult because he is rarely in the pot. Begin raising this opponents blinds and raising or reraising him on the flop. If they catch on they will have to begin playing more aggressive and you will have successfully moved them out of their comfort zone. Now they may begin to make mistakes they would not have otherwise made paying you off. This also may frustrate them and put them on tilt. If they do not catch on then you still reap the benefits and can keep bluffing them out of pots.

An aggressive player is trickier. With an aggressive player if you are not successful it could cost you. When there is an aggressive player at the table that is raising and reraising almost every hand begin calling with marginal hands. If you have a good hand reraise the aggressive player. They will begin getting caught in bluffs and playing fewer hands. When they begin playing fewer hands then they are out of their comfort zone and will now make mistakes by playing the wrong cards with the wrong strategy. If they do not then they can pay you off in large amounts by getting caught bluffing.

This is a very effective strategy when used correctly. The player using this strategy must be able to play all different aspects of poker in order to succeed. Once again this is for experienced well rounded poker players. Thank you for your feedback and good luck at the tables everyone. If you want to practice playing poker, you can do so through qq online and other poker online games.