Five Strategies for Playing Texas Holdem

Five Strategies for Playing Texas Holdem

Five Strategies for Playing Texas Holdem

Texas holdem is a strategic game. By that I simply mean that the object of the game is to play without making mistakes while posturing in order to force your opponents into making mistakes. Because profits come from the mistakes your opponents make minus the mistakes you make, it stands to reason that the fewer errors you make in relation to the errors of your opponents the more money you make. There are a number of strategies that you can use to your advantage while playing holdem, some involve plays you make while others are far more passive but nevertheless critical to successful play.

Observe Your Opponents

Perhaps the single most important strategic edge you gain at the holdem table is the ability to read your opponents. That ability comes quite naturally to some while others must develop the discipline and skill to effectively bore into their opponents' thought process. I find it easier to observe, to look deeply into my opponents' patterns and motives when I am not involved in a hand. When in a hand I must concentrate on my own action as well as the action of my opponent. If I was observant in the hands I didn't play, reading my opponent when I am in a hand is easier and often quite profitable.

The 80/20 Rule

Successful holdem strategy depends on deception. One simple way to act with deception is to vary randomly how you play your cards, especially preflop. The 80/20 rule suggests that you play normally 80% of the time and play deceptively 20% of the time. By normally I mean that your bets mean what they say they mean. When you decide to play deceptively your opponents will not be able to tell whether or not you have a hand.

The trick is to randomize your play. If you played normally for four hands and then switched to deception on the fifth hand a savvy, observant opponent will figure you out in a heartbeat. Here is how I randomize. It is a little trick I learned from Dan Harrington. I look at my wristwatch as the cards are being dealt. I can be sure that no one is paying me any attention at that moment. If the second hand is between 1 and 48 seconds (80% of a minute) I act normally. If the second hand falls between 49 and 60 seconds (20% of a minute) I act with deception. Notice I haven't yet looked at my cards so I haven't decided whether to play the hand or not. If I do, however, I already know how I intend to play the cards I am dealt.

Betting with a Purpose in Mind

When you make a bet it must always be purposeful. Your bet must accomplish something or it is a mistake to bet. You might hold a middle pair in late position and there was a raiser in front of you. You know your pair plays best heads-up so you decide to come over the top to isolate the raiser . If you hit your set on the flop you are in a strong position to scoop a big pot.

Another reason to raise is to gain information. Let's say you made trips on the flop with a 7-8 in your hand and the flop is 7-7-Q. You are in early position. If your opponent has pocket queens your hand is crushed. A raise in front here will give you some valuable information. If you are called it is likely your opponent is drawing to something but if you are raised you may decide to continue on but with caution. Your raise provided you with valuable information.

You may also want to raise from the cut-off or the button with any two cards to steal the blinds, a move especially valuable in middle and late stages of a tournament when the blinds are large relative to the stacks in play.

Bluffing

Bluffing is a large part of no limit holdem but generally does not work in fixed limit holdem. The primary reason is that a raiser in no limit is in control of the odds the pot is offering while in fixed limit the pot odds are often so inviting that a relatively small raise allowed within the limits is not enough to scare off your opponents. Bluffing takes a great amount of courage, the ability to read your opponent well enough to know he is susceptible to a bluff or not. Bluffing, and then advertising your bluff by showing the bluff is a way to control the table for ten or twelve rounds when memory fades.

Slow-Playing Big Hands

Slow-playing is simply checking or calling behind rather than raising. Big hands often scoop small pots, especially if the board is textured in favor of the hand you hold. But, slow-playing against a maniac who chases anything to the river or against a tight opponent who likely holds second best is often a way to build a bigger pot with little or no risk to you.

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