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| How to Win at Poker: Strategy
These pages are a guide to Poker Strategy. The topics covered are: Game Selection, Starting Hands, The Flop, The Turn, The River, Top Pair, Middle Pair, Bottom Pair, Seat Position, Reading the Board, Bluffing, Odds, Pot Odds, Understanding your Style, Assessing your Game, and Tournaments. | |||||||||||||||||||
Game SelectionNo Limit Games with Action PlayersLook for no limit games with unrestricted buy-ins and players who make and call large bets with mediocre hands. These players are politely refered to as action players, not suckers. Action players may leave the game if they think of themseleves as suckers. Tournament Days Live games at tournament venues fill up with players who have been eliminated from the tournament. These games are often so good it is worth skipping the tournament to play in them. Ideal Games Generally, the younger the players at a poker table, the softer the game. Ideal games are small collection no-limit with small blinds and unrestricted buy-ins filled with inebriated players in their early twenties who have just busted out of a tournament and who are buying-in and betting big. The ScobyPoker Rating System ScobyPoker has ranked games in 112 poker rooms for our readers. Use our ranking page wisely and you may win beyond your wildest fantasy.
Avoid Props and Shills A propositon player (prop) or a shill is a player paid by the card room to play in order to start or keep alive games for customers. A prop plays with his own money. A shill plays with house money. Generally, props and shills have played countless hours at the card rooms where they work and win money from the games. A group of props and shills in a single game is a sign of a particularly bad game because they will know each other may cooperate or at least avoid confrontations among themselves. Look for the opposite -- a game filled with inexperienced players who do not know each other and who are competing fiercely. Buy-ins Look for a game that allows a buy in of less than 10% of your poker bankroll, even if you have to switch games. For example, if you have a bankroll of $2000 and play in a game with a $200 buy in and bust out leaving yourself with $1800, don't buy in again unless you can do so for $180 or less. Collections and Rakes A collection is a time charge for playing. A rake is a charge per hand. Collections range from $5 to over $7 a half hour. Rakes range from $3 to $4 a pot. Often there must be a flop, a certain number of players and a pot of a certain size for the full rake to be taken. Look for games with a relatively small collection or rake. Jackpots, High Hands and other Promotions Often significant additional money is taken from the game to fund various promotions. If you play in such games, try to be on the winning side of the deal. For example, if players who play more than 25 hours in a month are given money back, play only if you can play the 25 hours. If the amount of the jackpot varies, play only when it is really up there. If high hands are awarded only during certain hours play only during those hours. Have fun, and remember no matter how much you play for it is just a game. | |||||||||||||||||||
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