Poker Strategies
When it comes to poker strategies there are
some things you should consider right from the beginning. You might
even consider them the golden rules of poker. They pretty
much apply to any poker game you are likely to play. These golden
rules are:
Don't be cheap. As a general
guideline you should start out with 20-30 times the table limit.
Get out if you have nothing in
your hand.
If you get a good hand make the
others pay to see it.
If they have you beat, fold.
The objective is to beat the other
players - not to have the highest hand.
Don't think you can beat a better
player. You might win little but you could also lose big.
These are the chances for you to get one of
the following in your original hand.
No Pair / 1 out of 2
One Pair / 1 out of 2.4
Two Pair / 1 out of 21
Three of a Kind / 1 out of 48
Straight / 1 out of 250
Flush / 1 out of 510
Full House / 1 out of 700
Four of a Kind / 1 out of 4200
Straight Flush / 1 out of 72,200
Royal Flush / 1 out of 650,000
With these things in mind there are already
a couple of things you can immediately conclude.
The more players there are on the table,
the greater the chance for one or more players to have a high
ranking hand.
You must have at least a pair or
four cards to a straight or flush. If not, fold
immediately.
This last advise might seem a little harsh
but as said above the chances of improving your opening hand, if you
have nothing, and beating the other players are rather small. This
means, unless you are really lucky, you will fold most of the time
after the first deal.
Now let's say you have something to build
on, like a pair or a three of a kind. What you have to decide now is
whether to keep a kicker or not. A kicker is a high card most
players hold with a pair or three of a kind. It is recommended you
toss the kicker because the odds getting the card of the same
value to your kicker is small, very small.
Another thing you have to keep in mind is
you should never try to build a straight or higher out of
three original cards. The odds for you on this are 1:85. On
the other hand it is highly recommended you always keep four
cards to a straight or any flush. As you will see below the odds
here are not bad at all, considering the odds of the original dealt
cards from above. The chances of completing a
Flush / are 1 out of 4.5
Straight open on both ends / are
1 out of 5
Straight open on one end / are 1
out of 11
Straight open on the inside / are
1 out of 11
Straight Flush open on both ends
/ are 1 out of 23
Straight Flush open on one end /
are 1 out of 46
Straight Flush open on the inside
/ are 1 out of 46
You always have to remember these odds when
making your betting decision. Let's say you have a four card flush.
The first question that pops into your mind should be: What are my
chances of completing on the deal? In this case they are 1 out of
4.5. If the pot is not 4.5 times the money you would have to bet,
you should fold. Anything else would just be blindly risking your
money to beat the odds.
In conclusion there is of course a lot more
to poker than the above. Bluffing, intimidation, body language and
all the rest of it makes poker what it is. If you are thinking of
becoming a serious poker player you should buy yourself a good book.
Ready to play?
