Anyone can learn basic poker strategy, but if you’re a beginner at online poker, it’s important that you come armed with a few simple tips and tricks.
While it only takes minutes to learn how to play poker, it can take years to become a winning player. With this simple poker betting strategy, you can get ahead of the competition.
Getting Started: Learning to Play Poker
You can now legally play online poker in some US states, including New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Online poker is convenient and you can choose from a variety of friendly stakes. In addition, the best sites offer bonuses and promotions to help you pad your bankroll.
Let’s start with a brief overview of poker rules. Texas Hold’em is the most popular form of poker, so we’ll choose this game as our example.
In Hold’em, each player is dealt two hole cards at the beginning of the hand. Before the “flop” is dealt, there is a round of betting. There are three community cards, which are shared by everyone at the table.
There is then another round of betting, after which a single “turn” card is added to the flop. After another round of betting, a final “river” card is added to the turn.
The object of the game is to form the best 5-card poker hand from two hole cards and five community cards. The winning hands follow standard poker rankings (from best to worst):
- Royal Flush
- Straight flush
- Four of a pair
- Full House
- Color
- Straight
- Three of a pair
- Two pairs
- One pair
- High card
11. poker strategy tips to improve your game
You’re already a poker payer, but what tips can you use to improve your poker game? Here are some basic poker strategies to help you get off the ground.
1. Be selective in your starting hands
As a new player, it’s tempting to play every hand. Why fold and sit around watching everyone else have all the fun?
There is a good reason why you need to be selective in your starting hands. Often times, most of your hands will be behind the flop, and you will be throwing good money after bad.
A good poker strategy is to choose the right starting hands, give up marginal hands, but take advantage of monster hands. Choose some premium hands to raise in late position (when you are one of the last players) and fold many of your weak preflop hands.
The best starting hands in poker can be grouped this way, starting with aces:
- A-A
- K-K
- Q-Q
- J-J
- A-K fit
- A-Q fits
- A-J matches
- K-Q fit
These are all hands you can comfortably raise with in late position. Some hands, such as A-A and K-K, you can also raise in early position, where you will be one of the first players after the flop.
You can also add hands like 10-10, 9-9, 8-8, 7-7, 6-6 and suited aces like A-10, A-9, A-8. Don’t get too attached to small pairs like 2-2 and 3-3 and play them just to extract value on the flop.
2.Learn to be aggressive
Good strategy in cash games and poker tournaments is also about playing aggressively. There’s no point in playing premium hands if you’re not willing to put up a lot of chips and force players out.
So, the best poker tip is to be tight and aggressive by picking a few hands to play and betting them heavily. If you are dealing with weaker players who tend to fold, you can be aggressive with small pairs and suited connectors. This will allow you to hide the true strength of your hand, especially if you only connect part of the flop.
3. Learn the art of the bluff
If the best players didn’t bluff, they wouldn’t win many pots. In many cases, you will miss the flop or the turn, so learning to bluff is a good way to force players to fold.
Good players know how to bluff to force better hands to fold. Start by learning the continuation bet (c-bet). This is a bet you make on the flop after you have led the betting preflop.
It doesn’t matter if you hit the flop or not, but the c-bet will keep the story going. Additionally, if you have an aggressive image, c-bet is a good way to hide your hands. Your opponent may believe you’re just trying to buy the pot, when in fact you have a decent hand.
4. But don’t bluff too much
Bluffing is a great poker strategy that you can learn as you develop your poker game. But don’t get attached to the idea of pulling off a lot of bluffs. You don’t want to lose chips playing your marginal hands often, especially if you run into a check station that doesn’t respect your plays.
You can also throw in some semi-bluffs. A semibluff is used when you have a drawn hand that has the potential to become a strong hand.
For example, you may have 6-5 diamonds, and 8-9-J hits the table with two diamonds. You now have the possibility of a straight, flush and straight flush, so there’s a chance to make a decent hand if your bluff is checked.
5. Understand hand rankings and odds
Understanding starting hands is a good tip in poker, but understanding rankings is an even better strategy in online poker.
For example, if you have been dealt A-8 and a K-8-2 appears on the flop, you know you have a pair of eights with an ace kicker. However, you are beaten by a pair of kings and probably a set of 2s or 8s.
So what do you need to improve? Perhaps another eight, which would give you a three, but that could give your opponent a full house. An ace would give you two pair and put you in a strong position. However, if he raises before the flop, can he have A-K?
You should be aware of the chances of hitting a winning hand. This requires knowledge of:
- Outs
- hand chances
- Pot odds
Outs are the number of cards in your deck that can improve your hand. By calculating your outs, you can calculate your hand chances.
Now look at the amount of money you have to put into the pot to check and compare the two numbers.
Let’s imagine that your hand odds are 4/1 after calculating your outs and your pot odds are 12/1. You get 12/1 for checking 4/1, a simple and easy choice every time.
Fortunately, you can find many hand odds spreadsheets online. Print one out and keep it in a safe place during your next online poker game..
6. Defend your blinds
Years ago, basic poker strategy dictated that you should fold most of your hands in the small and big blind. Nowadays, however, the common thinking is that you should defend your blinds at every opportunity.
When you are in the big blind, for example, you have already paid a forced bet. Additionally, when the flop occurs, you are the second actor. You won’t have information about most of the table, so why should you defend that position?
The answer comes down to post-flop betting. In the big blind, you are the last player. You can raise, check-raise or just call if there was no raise before the flop.
Being the last player gives you a lot of information about your opponents before the flop. You may notice a bet by a player who tends to raise frequently in late position, just to steal the pot.
With this information, you can comfortably check the big blind with different hands. In addition, you can get a good price for seeing the flop.
However, play the big blind with caution. Watch out for re-raised pots and look at the number of players in the hand. You should also defend your big blind with a hand that plays well multiway, such as suited connectors and premium pairs.
7. Don’t be afraid to fold
The best strategy in cash games and poker tournaments is to learn how to fold hands.
The beauty of online poker is that you get a huge number of hands. The action is fast and furious, especially in turbo Sit ‘n Gos and fast-fold cash games. So why play a lot of hands when there’s another one coming up in a moment?
Sitting at the computer and folding multiple cards can be boring. But don’t be tempted to play weak hands just because you have nothing better to do.
Similarly, you need to learn to fold when you think you have a good hand. If a player with a strong card flops A-6-10 when you have middle pair, it’s probably a sign that you’re beaten. Give up and save your money for another hand.
You must always be 100% sure of your game. If you are not sure what to do when faced with a raise, the best decision is usually to let the hand go.
8. Be aware of your position at the table
Understanding your position at the table is one of the key parts of poker strategy that you need to know.
In early position, where you act first, you may have to deal with a raise or re-raise. Conversely, in late position you have more information about what your opponents have done.
The importance of position cannot be underestimated. It informs you with which hands you will raise and check and how aggressive you should be before and after the flop.
For example, you should always raise 4-4 to 8-8 in late position if there were no raises. But in early position, those hands become just checks. The closer you are to the small blind, the more careful you should be.
9. Don’t play above your bankroll
Legitimate online poker sites in the US now offer a diverse range of games and stake levels. You can choose from $0.01/$0.02 Hold’em cash games or play in high-stakes tournaments with stakes over $500.
While it takes seconds to register for a tournament or sit down at a cash table, be mindful of your bankroll level.
For example, if you have $100 for cash games, start with $0.05/$0.10 games and reserve some of your bankroll for rebuys. Similarly, a good strategy in poker tournaments is to set aside 5-10% of your bankroll for a single entry.
You also need to look beyond pure finances. Just because you have $1,000 to spend, it doesn’t mean you qualify to play with a $5/10 or $100 buy-in. You need to comfortably beat the level you’re at before moving up.
If you are able to win 10-20 cash sessions at your stake level, consider moving up to the next level. Likewise, reach a certain level of ROI on Sit ‘n Gos or tournaments before you start playing at higher stakes.
10. Invest in poker tracking software
Not all online poker sites allow the use of tracking software and heads-up displays (HUDs), but they can be an invaluable aid in evaluating your opponents.
A HUD such as PokerTracker 4 or Hold’em Manager 3 overlays your online poker table and gives you information about your opponents. You’ll see real-time statistics such as their pre-flop raise percentage or the number of times they folded to a raise. By studying the statistics and taking notes, you can make more informed calls.
11. Invest in a coaching program
There are plenty of poker strategy videos and coaching programs available online. From YouTube videos with the biggest names to Twitch streams and interactive tools, there’s no reason to avoid learning something new.
You can also invest in online training sites that offer basic poker strategies, quizzes and more advanced techniques.
Start by deciding where your strengths lie. Are you going to focus on playing Texas Hold’em tournaments, or are you a cash game specialist? Decide what you want to make the most money at and find a course that’s right for you.
Here are some of the best training sites to look at. They offer a range of strategy programs, videos and free tools and resources to get you started.
- Upswing Poker
- Increase your edge
- Run it once
- RedChipPoker
Learn how to play poker the right way
You don’t have to be Daniel Negreanu to grasp basic poker strategy in 2021. With a few simple tips, you can start winning money at the Hold’em and Omaha tables right away.
Practice at low stakes, try tournaments with larger buy-ins and always take notes as you play. The more you play, the better you will become.