GREAT ARTICLE FROM POCKET FIVES

For those of you looking for a fast and easy way to improve your game, try never limping and never calling any bet. This was one of the first pieces of advice I received, and while I don't follow it 100% of the time, it is a great base strategy off of which to branch. I've never really understood why people limp in, but I love to be at a table with a lot of limpers. I know everyone wants to "see a flop," but if you want to become a profitable player, seeing a lot of flops is not going to help. Limping in a pot allows others to control the action and makes it so you don't know how strong the other players are, especially in the blinds.


The most common type of limp I see is from early position with mid pocket pairs. I think players do this because they don't want to commit a lot of chips with a mediocre hand with so many unknown hands behind them. But think of what happens when you see an early position raise; you immediately put them on a strong hand, and rightly so. Poker is all about misperception, so if you raise with 66 in first position, a lot of players will fold hands like 88 and AJ because they think you have a stronger hand than them. Now if you limp, the same player with 88 or AJ might think of raising 4 times the big blind, which would let them take control of the hand with some weak, limper chips in the pot. So what are you going to do? Fold and give up an extra big blind? Or call, hope to hit a set, and if not, then check-fold? Neither are good decisions, so don't limp in the first place!


Now what happens if someone limps in front of you, and you hold a hand that is playable? Try asking yourself these two questions: how strong is the player that limped? Is it worth it to raise roughly 4 times the big blind with position? If you think the player is strong, and it's not worth the raise, then just be patient and fold. When I'm playing my best poker, you will never see me limp in a pot with 40x the big blind or less; the only time I would is with more than 40 big blinds, a small pocket pair or suited connector, and with 3-4 bad limpers in front of me.

Now on to calling bets... If your struggling and want to start over with your game, start with never calling any bet without getting at least 4-1 on your money. When I say never call a bet/raise, I mean when there is a button raise to 3 times the big blind, NEVER call from the blinds; either raise or fold. When there is a middle position minimum raise, NEVER call; raise or fold. When you start calling these bets, you're playing weak poker, and stronger players will start making squeeze plays and/or betting any flop that comes. This is going to leave you with the decision to either make a big bluff back at them or fold. Again, neither are good scenarios.


But what about slow playing? First of all, I would recommend never slow playing with more than 40 times the big blind. Too often a bad card will come, and there are too many chips left in your stack to commit your whole stack to the hand. With less than 40 times the big blind, slow playing can be effective in unique spots, especially against an aggressive player. Think of situations where you have recently had the opportunity to slow play a hand. If you are out of position, it should be because a loose/aggressive player called your preflop raise and you hit a set, two pair, straight, etc.

In this case, the biggest question you have to ask yourself is how concerned you are about the turn card. If you think that most cards won't hurt you, check-calling and letting him control the action is not a bad idea, and then check-raising the turn or betting out are both solid plays to follow up. If you are in position and you aren't worried about the turn, calling a lead out bet or checking a flop are passive plays that can be profitable. You really have to play your opponent in most cases and think about whether or not he is going to bet the turn if he sees weakness in a checked flop. Knowing when to slow play is a very important aspect in poker, and it is the only time I would ever recommend calling a bet.


Try following this base strategy for a month or so, and then slowly branch out and see how other moves can fit into your game. Keep in mind each scenario, and then use the ones that are successful as often as you feel comfortable. This should help you become a better poker player. I still keep "never limp, never call" in the back of my mind whenever I play, and it has helped me become a profitable player.

KILLER POKER

Play Aggressive Poker
While I wouldn't call myself an expert, I think I have played enough to make some helpful observations to the relative poker newcomer. I play in a weekly game with some coworkers, where we usually do a single table no-limit Hold'em tournament, and I have participated in a few low stakes multi-table tournaments online. The following advise is probably best used in low stakes tournament settings, but I think they probably apply elsewhere.
I think the single most important approach you can take to a game is to be aggressive. The aggressive player sets the tone, and can usually control the action for a given table.
Before I go any further, let me explain what I mean by being aggressive. Aggressive play and loose play are not the same thing. Aggressive does not mean betting every hand, or always staying in a hand to the showdown. In fact if you are going to be aggressive, you should probably not play as many hands as most of your opponents. Being aggressive means that rather than calling, you would raise, rather than checking, you would bet, and when you bet, bet more than the token minimum allowable bet.
Since this strategy requires you to wager more in the hands that you do play, you have to be more selective in those hands. You don't have to win the most pots to come out ahead; you have to win the biggest pots.
One situation where you would want to consider aggressive play is pre-flop from a late position. If you are going to play a hand, why not raise pre-flop rather then just calling? Force your opponents to pay to see the flop, and build up the pot that you are planning on winning. Betting pre-flop will also represent a strong hand which can be used for bluffing after the flop, if the flop doesn't help you. If there were many callers pre-flop, then raising, will either increase the size of the pot when other players have to call your raise, or force them to fold, eliminating the chance for them to back into a hand later on.
Another example is when you think no one was helped by the flop. Often lesser players will simply check around hoping to get a free card to help them out on the turn. In this situation, the person that bets first will often win the pot, because everyone else will fold. Betting post flop from an early position could also be a defensive move. If you have an average, but not great hand, consider betting instead of checking. Weaker players that may have bet had you checked will often just call rather than raising you. So by betting a small amount, they become tentative, and don't try to push you. And if they had nothing, they may fold rather than staying in to try to back into a hand on the turn or the river.
When you play cautiously you allow your opponents to control the hand and capitalize on your weakness. By being the aggressor, it is you who determines how the hand is played out, and what the ultimate stakes will be.