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The secret to No Limit Hold’em success

Make your opponents unprofitable to invest their money in the bank.

For me personally, this is a key principle in No Limit Hold’em. Make your opponents wrong by wasting their money in the bank. The more often you manage to get them to do this, the more money you can win.

Imagine a situation in which you see me play my hand and my line seems a little funny to you. If you come up to me later and ask why I played like that, then my whole answer can be reduced to the following phrase: “I tried to force my opponent to invest money in the bank in a way that is unfavorable for him.”

From my own experience, I can say that most players do not think in these categories, but it is quite useful to think that way.

At an endless distance, everyone is given the same amount. More precisely, it is impossible to predict or control what someone will do better over a certain period of time, and after a sufficient time, experience and skills level out luck, demonstrating the real level of the player.

If everyone is dealt the same at an infinite distance, then in order to gain an advantage over their rivals, it is necessary as often as possible to force them to put their money into the bank with unsuitable cards for this. That is, you need to try to get them to make a mistake and make a bad investment. If this is the secret of success in poker, then according to my logic, most of my draws should be conditioned by this principle.

Sometimes making your opponents unprofitable to invest in the pot is quite simple: you just need to bet with a better hand and get calls from the worst. However, as the level of play and the aggression of your opponents increases, you will have to work hard to make them wrong.

Give them cheap or even free cards to provoke action on further streets of the trade.

Most players are too scared of being run over. If one of these guys has a more or less strong combination, and there are “draws” on the board, be sure that such a player will bet a lot “to protect his hand.”

Personally, I’m not worried about such things at all. Movements will still happen, this is poker.

What interests me is whether my opponents are playing against me as if they saw my cards. If, when I have a good hand, they fold, and when I have a weak hand, they bet and bet, then this means that everything is going very badly.

I would rather find myself in a situation where there is a possibility that I will be “run over”, provided that if the opponent is still not “screwed up”, then he will invest money in the bank very unprofitable for himself.

The skills of a successful poker player

To win regularly at poker, you need to have a wide range of skills, and they are far from limited to the technical side of poker. These are the most important “life” qualities of any successful poker player. We have arranged them in decreasing order of importance, but remember that there are exceptions.

Some players quite successfully compensate for the lack of, say, discipline, unsinkable self-confidence, and therefore continue to win.

Money management

If you don’t know how to “count money”, don’t understand which game you can afford and which one is better to stay away from, you will not be able to consistently benefit from your poker skills. The main reason many strong players go broke is because the stakes are too high that they cannot afford.

In poker, it often happens that you just have had bad luck for quite some time. And in such moments, the worst decision would be to try to recoup at more expensive tables – your game is already bursting at the seams due to uncertainty and endless failures, but imagine the consequences of going out to even more experienced players!

To prevent this from happening, you need to remember a simple rule. Allocate a certain amount of money to poker (the so-called bankroll) and always make sure that there are so many buy-ins, that is, the entry fees to your current game, in which you feel comfortable and not afraid to lose. If you think you don’t have much money left, and each pot is of great value to you, then you should go down to the cheaper tables to restore your shaky bankroll, as well as confidence in your game.

Failure to comply with this rule is a direct path to ruin. In one of the following articles, we will definitely talk about the so-called bankroll management, which will help you always stay afloat.

Another problem for many novice players is the inability to “count” money. If you decide to specialize in cash games in Texas Hold’em, then you should not open a couple of Omaha or Stud tables in parallel, as well as your favorite evening tournament, from which you will be knocked out in the first 15 minutes. These games may be fun for you, but the extra $ 30-50 that is poured into such entertainment every day may well wipe out all your profits from the base game.

Discipline

For a stable player, one of the most important skills is discipline. Being able to be in the right place at the right time is not just luck! If you don’t have a card all evening, that doesn’t mean you should get involved in borderline deals with bad hands simply because you’re bored. It’s easy to make a mistake out of emotion that will invalidate all your previous efforts. To attack, you always need to look for the best card or advantageous situation at the table …

Most of the money in poker is won by patient people who know for sure that they will get a good card, if not in a minute, then in one of the thousands of hands that they have yet to play.

A disciplined player will always be able to refrain from a situation where he initially does not have an advantage, from playing hands that can only create problems, and will also always pull himself up if he suddenly wants to play a more expensive game than he can afford. He accurately counts money and learns from his own mistakes, not allowing emotions and momentary impulses to get the better of cold calculation and the desire to win money.

Psychological stability

At the poker table, it is important not to lose concentration under the influence of a feeling of injustice from a bad hand (“tilt”). You need to be able to calm down or take a break as soon as emotions begin to take over and begin to dictate their own rules of the game.

In poker, there are very long losing streaks, and even the best professionals can’t do anything about it – it’s all about the theory of probability and elementary mathematics. But, ultimately, the best results are achieved by those players who are able to endure failures more easily, maintain psychological stability and better than others minimize their losses in difficult times for them.

Bankroll management cash player

Bankroll management (BRM) is one of the most important parts of poker, but what is it? In fact, this is a certain amount of money allocated for the game. Many people confuse this concept with the money that is in the room, but this is far from the case. It is not necessary to keep all funds in the poker room, as long as there are certain untouchable funds reserved for the game. In this article we will talk about how many limit buy-ins you need to have in reserve and how this will affect growth by limits.

As a cash game player, I can most fully devote you to this question. Our BRM is very much tied to what limit you are playing at the moment, and what goal you set for yourself: to climb the limits as quickly as possible, or to sit on your bottom straight, and make constant cashouts.

If your task, for example, is to play nl20-30 and you feel that you are confidently beating nl5-10, then there is no point in having a large BR, you need to rise to the required level as quickly as possible and make cashouts calmly there. With such rises, when you are confidently hitting the field, I think 20-25 buy-ins will be enough.

If the promotion is not going as well as expected, then you can use a slightly more conservative approach when raising, and have, for example, 40 buy-ins to play poker.

It is important to remember that when you stop climbing the limits, you need to build yourself some reserve in order to feel confident. And the minimum amount of money allocated for poker, I think, should be at least 50 buy-ins per limit. Anything that you type above – you can cashout.

A few words about the growth and descent of the BRM limits

When you play with aggressive bankroll management, you need to connect the tables gradually, and not collect all your belongings and move to a higher limit, playing only there. So you will more painlessly get used to and gain a foothold. As soon as you collect 25 bains of the limit above, go there, also gradually.

Using a quick rise in limits imposes a rigid framework on discipline and a more careful attitude to your money, because We have no margin for error. If you have risen to a higher limit and you have 5-10 buy-ins, then you NEED to go back down or completely turn off the tables of the upper limit, otherwise you can fill up so that you will already start with nl2;) money, try to shoot again.

How do I play online satellites?

Sometimes you sit down to play, start a session, observing all the rules of bankroll management, and you see it – a tournament with a fabulous guarantee and the most pleasant line-up. Mentally, having already spent all the prize money for the first place, you pull yourself away from fantasies: “I can’t afford this tournament”.

What to do? Selling shares? Then it will be necessary to share the prize money with other equity holders and the tournament does not look so attractive anymore. There is a way out – satellites.

How to choose a satellite?

The satellite selector is essential. First, make sure you beat the tournament you’re qualifying for. If you are sure that the field is suitable for you, then you must also cope with the composition of the satellite. After all, as a rule, the composition in a satellite is better than in a tournament for which you are selected through this satellite.

Second, stick to bankroll management. That is, the buy-in value of this satellite must match your ABI. The satellite may well run at the top of your download, if, of course, the tournament you are qualifying for is worth it.

Thirdly, choose the satellites that are guaranteed the most tickets. The chances of passing such a satellite are higher, and the compositions there are softer.

Well, do not forget about overlays, in satellites this is also quite common.

Direct satellite

It is better to get into the satellite by the very beginning of registration. It should be played a little tighter than a regular tournament. It makes no sense for us to fill a huge stack and take risks thoughtlessly. For the rest, we use the standard adjustment for opponents and act on the basis of their play.

On a prebable with an average stack, sit out and play as tight as possible. With a short stack, looking for opportunities to double. The push / fold range is about the same as in a regular tournament.

At the bubble stage with a huge stack, we don’t do anything. It makes no sense to push the table, because we are already guaranteed to get a ticket. And by exhibiting, we put our stack at risk.

With an average stack, we try to assess the situation. If 95% that we pass this sat with our stack, we even fold pocket kings.

If the stack is short, we try to double up. It is better to exhibit in a smaller number of people, that is, in late positions. And it’s best to steal the blinds from an understanding mid-stacked regular. Because they will throw out most of their hands. This style can be played with almost any two cards.

Satellite to satellite

We play in the same way as a simple satellite. Only you will need to go through all these stages twice or more, depending on the number of these satellites.

Phase satellite

We play like a regular tournament. Since you go to the next stage of this satellite with the stack that you filled in the previous stage, there is no point in hiding. There is no need to move to the next phase with all your might with 1 blind. Better to stick to your standard opponent adjustments and play your A-game.

Now, during the world quarantine, rooms are increasing guarantees for online tournaments, traffic has increased and the squads have become much more pleasant. It’s time to look for the best tournaments. Play expensive tournaments without breaking your bankroll and take care of yourself!

The Basics of Poker Strategy in Cash Games

In this article, we’ll talk about the basics of poker strategy: playing preflop and flop – the first two streets of the trade. The strategy is very simple to understand, and it will not be difficult for you to apply it at the initial limits.

Preflop

Preflop is the easiest street to trade in poker. By following simple guidelines, you can avoid most of the mistakes beginner players make and make it much easier to play hands on late streets.

So, if there was no raise before you, then preflop you should always have a choice between just a fold or a raise. Making a call, that is, simply delivering a big blind bet to the pot in the hope that no one will raise, and you can see the flop cheaply, is by no means possible! There is a simple explanation for this: with strong hands you want to win a big pot, and therefore you need to build it up on the first street of betting. With weak hands, you will lose control over the distribution and force yourself to play with a weak hand without initiative, that is, your chances of a successful bluff will be greatly reduced, and you most likely will not have other opportunities to win the pot.

Whatever cards they have, remember, you need to play aggressively, make your opponents nervous and give out the strength of your hand. This is why we place our bets. Also, with a simple preflop raise, you will greatly facilitate your game and determine the ranges in the future – opponents are unlikely to call your raise with random cards, and you will have an idea of what they have in hand.

As little as possible, you should play and call your opponent’s preflop raise, no matter how much you want. Remember, the main goal of poker is to play aggressively, play tight and play in position. That is why you need to focus on being the aggressor in the pots as often as possible and in one of the late positions with strong hands – this way you can get the maximum advantage over your opponents.

Bet sizes

The standard raise size if all opponents have folded before you is 3-3.5 big blinds.

If one or more players limp into the game and you are going to raise, then its size should be equal to 3 big blinds plus one BB for each player who limped.

If you are going to 3-bet, then in position, its size should be no more than three sizes of the opponent’s initial raise (usually 10-11 BB), and out of position – four (usually 12-15 BB).

Flop

Flop strategy can be divided into two broad categories: when you opened preflop with a raise and got called from one or more opponents, and when you just called a raise from one of the other players.

As you can already see, the latter type of situations will occur much less often, and therefore it will be easier for you to navigate in them.

Flop as aggressor

One of the most common actions in poker is the so-called “continuation bet” or simply continuation bet. This flop bet is made by the preflop aggressor, confirming that he is still strong on the flop, no matter what happens! After all, he may still have the strongest hand. And since a player who calls preflop will only get a match on the flop 33% of the time, the preflop aggressor can bet a lot of flops and take the pot without further resistance. A continuation bet usually serves one of two purposes.

The first is to increase the pot (for value, i.e. collect money from weak hands). In other words, when making a continuation bet with top pair and top kicker, the player expects the weaker combinations to call. The second is a bluff, where a player bets without coincidences or with a garbage hand, relying on the fact that the opponent will fold. A continuation bet is only made if you are the preflop aggressor. It doesn’t matter if you hit the flop or not.

What kind of poker should you choose?

The opportunity to win enough money at poker for a comfortable existence attracts many. And this is possible – if you choose the right poker discipline for you and constantly deepen your knowledge, getting the most out of it at the table.

The importance of choosing the most comfortable and understandable type of poker for the player can hardly be overestimated: only the lucky ones get a lot of money at once in one or two tournaments, while the majority of poker players grind for years, going out to earn good money by constantly working on the game

How do you know which type of poker is right for you?

To do this, you need to study a little theory. Poker is the collective name for several card games in which players place their bets consistently and try to make the best combination. In games of this type, players fight for the bank formed from their bets, which is received either by the owner of the best combination when showing and comparing hands, or by the one whose bets forced the opponents to abandon further struggle and fold their cards before the showdown.

Poker is a game with incomplete information – players here do not see the opponents’ cards and the remaining deck, therefore, when making decisions, they rely only on information about their hand, community cards on the table and patterns in the behavior of other players.

Unlike games with complete information, such as chess and checkers, when playing poker you need to be able to analyze and predict not only the opponent’s possible actions, but also his hand, the player’s decisions often depend on the strength, playability and hitting the board.

All types of poker can be divided into three large groups

Board games – community cards that are laid out in the center of the table and can be used by any participant in the distribution to make a combination. Example games: Texas Hold’em, Omaha.
Games without a board – without community cards, where each player uses only his own cards to make a combination, most of which are hidden from the eyes of opponents. Sample games: 5- and 7-Card Stud (5- / 7-Card Stud), Razz (Razz), Chinese Poker (aka Pineapple).
No board games with an exchange – where there are no community cards, but players can exchange any cards from their hand to make a combination. Examples of games: Lowball (Lowball or low poker), Badugi (Badugi), Draw Poker.

In some rooms there are board games in which the exchange of cards is possible (for example, SWAP Hold’em at PokerStars).

Each discipline differs significantly from the others in the rules of the game. You can familiarize yourself with the rules of each discipline in the “Basics” section of the “Poker School” tab on the Pokeroff website.

4 questions for choosing a poker discipline

To choose the game that suits you, familiarize yourself with the rules of each discipline and its variations depending on the size of the rates and the structure. The best way to know if a particular discipline is right for you is to play a few hands at the low limits. If after that you have a dilemma about which of your favorite types of poker to choose, answer the following questions:

Do you understand the rules 100%?
How difficult is it for you to play against people in this discipline?
Do you feel comfortable while playing?
Are you interested in studying your chosen discipline?

If all the answers to the questions are positive, then feel free to take up the game, starting to skate and deepen your knowledge in order to develop an individual strategy for the game. Most importantly, remember that poker is based on two pillars – mathematics and psychology.

At the same time, in no discipline there is a universal winning strategy or cliché that must be followed – if they existed, everyone would follow them, which means that in the end no one would win. Because of this, poker requires creativity and original thinking – the success of their use can be seen in the example of famous players using individually designed game methods.

The most popular and easiest to learn today is No-Limit Hold’em. Most of the poker rooms offer the game at all limits, so it will not be difficult for beginners to find a cheap tournament or cash for a financially safe start of a poker career. If you are eager to play, but are afraid of losing a lot of money on acquaintance with disciplines, start with Hold’em – you can use his example to understand how mathematics and psychology work in poker, what styles of play exist and how to correctly apply them.

Poker card combinations

The first thing to remember in the poker rules is the accepted combinations of cards (poker hands), which are compared at showdown by seniority to determine the winner. In this article you will find a description of all poker combinations with pictures and illustrative examples for Texas Hold’em, Omaha and other types of this card game. Let’s start with the highest combination and describe them in descending order.

Descending card combinations

We can represent poker combinations of cards in descending order as follows:

Royal Flush (Royal Flush)> Straight Flush (Straight Flush)> Four of a Kind> Full House> Flush> Straight> Set (Thrips; Three; Three of a Kind)> Two Pairs> One Pair> High Card

Sometimes the combinations of the players’ cards coincide – then the victory is determined by the seniority of the cards participating in the combination. Each combination is formed by five cards and can be collected from a combination of the player’s hand and community cards on the table, or only from community cards on the table.

Royal Flush

Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten are of the same suit. There is a point of view that this combination is the most senior straight flush. However, most members of the poker community still consider Royal Flush as a separate combination – the strongest and rarest in poker. A royal flush can be collected by only one player in a hand, or only with the community cards on the table.

Straight Flush

Any five cards in a row by seniority and of the same suit. This combination includes suited rows of five cards, increasing in value, except for the row from ten to ace. If two players have a Straight Flush, the hand with the highest straight wins. Straight flush can either start with Ace or end with it – in the latter case, it forms a new combination – Royal Flush.

Four of a Kind

Four cards of the same rank. Two players can collect the same square of four only from community cards. If two players have collected the same four of a kind, then the one with the higher kicker – the fifth card that does not participate in the creation of the combination – wins.

For example: on the table 8,8,8,8,7 both players have made four of a kind. One is holding K2, the other is holding Q6. The first player will win – his combination will be 8,8,8,8, K. Moreover, if both kickers of the players are less than the fifth card on the table, then the bank will be split.

If the players have collected different squares, then the one whose cards have the higher denomination will win.

Full House

Three cards of the same rank and any pair. If both players have collected a Full House, then the winner of the top three wins. If three cards are equal, the pair is compared, the one with the higher wins. If the Full Houses are the same or the combination is formed only by community cards on the table, the bank will be split.

When dubbing Full House, the first is always called the plurality of the triple, and the second is the pair. For example, Full House KKK99 would read as – Full House Kings of Nines.

Flush

Five cards of the same suit. With a flush, the cards do not go in a row – that is, they do not form a sequence at face value. If several players make a Flush, then the player with the highest card of the corresponding suit wins.

If the highest card of the Flush is common, then the next highest card is compared. If all the community cards forming a flush exceed the face value of the cards of the players of the same suit, and also if the combination is formed only by community cards, then the bank is split.

Ace-high Straight

Five cards in a row by seniority with an ace. If ace is the highest card in the combination, then this is the strongest straight – A, K, Q, J, T. If ace is the lowest card, then it is the weakest straight – A, 2,3,4,5.

Straight

Five cards of different suits in a row according to seniority. If the players have collected a Street, the one in whose combination the last card is higher wins. In this case, the Ace can be considered both the highest card in the combination, and the lowest. The oldest street is A, K, Q, J, T. The youngest street, also known as the “wheel” – A, 2,3,4,5.

Three of a kind

Three cards of the same rank. The combination is formed from three cards of general value and two kickers. In English, the combination has only one name – Three of a Kind – three identical. However, in the Russian-speaking space, two types of triplets are distinguished:

A set is a three of a kind made up of a pocket pair (a pair in the player’s hand) and one community card.

A trips is a three of a kind made from one card in the player’s hand and a pair of community cards.
The type of formation of the three does not affect the strength of the combination when comparing, however, it has different probabilities of getting.

If two players have the same triplets, the owner of the highest kicker wins. If the community cards exceed the kickers of both players in value, then the bank is split.

Two pair

Two cards of one rank and two cards of another rank. In our case, these are two Aces and two Kings. If both players have made a combination of Two Pair, the winner is the one with the pair higher. If the top pair is the same – for example, 88 is on the table, and the players have 22 and 55 in their hands – then the winner is the one with the second pair with the higher denomination. If both pairs are the same, then the owner of the senior kicker wins.

One pair

Two cards of the same rank. In the example in the picture, a pair is made up of two Aces. If both players have made a Pair, then they are compared by seniority. If the Pair is the same, then the winner is determined by the seniority of each kicker. If the same pocket pairs (in the player’s hand) or all other community cards on the table are higher than the kickers of both players, the bank is split.

How the combination is made

A poker hand is a set of 5 cards that form one of the combinations: high card, pair, two pair, set, straight, flush, full house, four of a kind, straight flush or royal flush.

All hands in Texas Hold’em and Omaha consist of 5 cards. Both the player’s cards and the community cards on the table are used. The main rule is that only those cards are taken into account that give the maximum possible combination in the distribution.