Aces Up by John Reeves (book suggestions TXT) 📕

remember that Texas Holdem poker isn't about the cards you hold at any given moment, it's about other people and their cards. Controlling poker's psychology is another weapon in your arsenal. At first I'll define the expression as best as I can.

The psychology of poker is about behaviors of archetypal players of poker and actions they take while playing in base poker rooms or online poker room s. It studies how poker players react to situations in the time of the poker game, what factors are relevant to those who play this fine sport and the applications of this study.

Have you ever wondered why some players feel loose with their hands while others are tight? Why various players are aggressive with their stakes while others aren't? Is a bluff just a bluff, where do strategies enter into this new psychology of online poker world?

There are some places that the psychology of poker is even more important than other places, take example of online poker rooms: There your opponents are practically anonymous, you can't look at their eyes and try to catch a moment of fear or triumph, in online casinos' poker rooms all you've got is their "poker behavior": The stakes they play with, when do they bluff, how they bluff and for how long into the game from the start, who plays how and when. Sometimes it's hard to give attention to these little details, especially in online poker tools rooms where the human sub awareness cannot come to our aid as a measuring tool for others' behavior. The first thing to start with is your own reactions to your surrounding and more than that - get to know which kind of player you are.


General Advice - No Limit Hold'em

No-limit Texas Hold'em Top Advice

1. Playing too many starting hands: in a standard $2-$4 NL game you should have a 20-30% view of the flop percentage. This means folding AJ in first position, KT in middle position and QT in late position.
2. Table selection: only play in games where you have an edge. You want at least a couple of weak players at the table when you sit down.
3. "Playing the players": make sure to quickly assess the opposition: who plays inferior hands, who folds at aggression, who bets with draws, who calls big bets with weak hands and draws, who can be bluffed, who bluffs, etc.
4. "Pump it or dump it": fold or bet/raise (if the holdem odds are with you). You should avoid calling unless you have a good reason (like trapping an opponent).
5. Respect most big bets and raises: this is particularly true on the turn and river as most players do not bluff.

No-Limit Texas Hold'em Common Mistakes

1. Not releasing a decent hand when beat, thus losing the whole stack on one hand.
2. Calling with weak holdings when facing a bet.
3. Playing too many starting hands.
4. Not raising pre-flop with premium hands (putting pressure on limpers holding drawing hands) and then going too far with them after the flop.
5. Over/under betting the pot (risking a lot to win small/not protecting hand).


Starting Hand Requirements

These requirements work very well in a tight/aggressive style of play. For less experienced players this is a great way to start out.

Avoid playing marginal hands, as you will have to do a lot of guessing which will leave you vulnerable. If you have never played NL before, it is recommended that you restrict yourself to only playing pairs AA-22, AK and AQ. With these top poker hands, you will not find yourself caught in many difficult situations and you can still win big pots. Playing only these hands requires a great deal of discipline since you will not be involved in many pots. Playing with this strategy will provide you with a lot of time to study the game and observe the players as you play.


How to modify the table depending on the action before you:

* If there are a couple of limpers in front of you, you should only raise with the top hands, such as AK and AA-JJ, and be more inclined to call with the marginal hands since these hands play well in multi-way pots.
* If the pot has been raised, consider who raised and decide whether to call, re-raise or fold. If it was a strong player, re-raise/fold. If it was a weak player, your inclination should be to call, as you will be presented with a good chance of winning a big pot when you hit a great flop. Re-raise the strong players with AK and AA-JJ in an attempt to shut them out and win the pot immediately, otherwise fold. Be more inclined to just call raises from weaker players with all pairs, AK and AQ, but only if you have position and will likely end up heads-up, otherwise re-raise. You do this in order to trap them on the flop when you hit a great hand instead of shutting them out pre-flop.

Limp or Raise:

* Raise with AA-QQ, AK and AQs in any position.
* Basically, all other starting hands are limping hands. And though you might re-raise with them when you are defending your blinds, you might also raise with these hands when you are first in from a late position.
* Occasionally mix up your play by raising/calling/re-raising with hands you would not usually play. It is preferable to avoid becoming too predictable.

General pre-Flop Advice

* Most of the time you should raise/re-raise with top-pairs (AA-QQ) and top connectors (AK, AQs) in order to make low-pairs and various connectors pay to see flops against you. Remember, they will often have the opportunity to double up on you if they hit (although many beginners do not realize this and fold too often pre-flop).
* Stick to the premium hands (see table of minimum required hands). You will pay dearly to "chase" with second-best hands in NL.
* Keep most raises down to between 70% and 100% (making it 3 times the big blind to go typically equals an 80% pot bet) in order to save money when you get re-raised or called by stronger holdings. If there are limpers in front of you, raise to about 4-6 times the big blind.
* Have respect for strong tight players (for example, you should drop AQ if a strong player raises under the gun).
* When very weak players have entered the pot, be inclined to call and take flops with them.


After the Flop - No Limit Hold'em
Flop play is very important in No-Limit Texas Hold'em. The key is to determine the relative strength of your holding. Over time, it is crucial that you develop the ability to release good poker hands when you suspect them to be second best. You must determine your relative strength and release hands that face a serious risk of being second-best. Betting is the natural move if you want to protect a good hand from being outdrawn or when you are presented with the opportunity to make your opponents fold their hands. You should usually "pump it or dump it" on the flop.

It is extremely important that you always evaluate the relative strength of your hand on the flop.

In order to decide the correct action it is very important to keep several factors in mind:

1. What did you flop and what is your relative strength (straight draws, flush draws, set, paired board, etc)?
2. Who, if anyone, raised before the flop (often expect another bet)? What kind of player is it?
3. What position do you have relative to the raiser's?
4. Number of players (it is hard to bluff facing 3 or more opponents and there is a greater chance of someone hitting a strong hand)?
5. Your and your opponents' stack size

When facing a bet you should fold unless you have good reason to doubt the strength of your opponent. As they are "setting the odds", it is crucial that you make the appropriate decision. Remember, your opponent can be holding anything from the stone cold nuts down to nothing - if your hand is decent it may very well be an underdog to a lot of likely holdings. A texas holdem odds calculator can help you on calculate the odds and the winnings chances of your poker hand.

Of course, you will not always fold. In fact, every now and again you should play back with a raise when you have a good chance of taking the lead or if you think your opponent is weak. Consequently, you will be "setting the odds" and forcing your opponent to make a decision (and a possible mistake).

Try to save your calls unless you have very good reason not to (like slow-playing a monster or drawing to the nuts in a multi-way pot). You will rarely get the holdem odds for chasing "outs" by calling in NL, unless your opponents bet too small or give free cards. By calling with mediocre holdings you will set yourself up for a "guessing game", in which it is necessary to read opponents well and "make moves" in order to be successful.

Typical Situations on the Flop

Here are four typical situations on the flop:

Very Strong Hand (top two-pair, set)

* Often slow-play on an uncoordinated board to lure opponents in, to induce bluffs or let them make second-best hands.
* However, if the board is coordinated and several players are in, you will need to over-bet the pot in order to make them pay for attempting to outdraw you. The bigger the bet they call, the greater their mistake. And that is how you make money in poker: letting other players pay to chase you.

Strong Hand (over-pair, top-pair with A kicker, etc.)

* Generally, bet about the size of the pot in order to protect it (for example, pushing out overcards and making draws pay).
* However, you might have to release this type of hand when facing an over-bet or a raise. In such cases, someone could hold a bigger overpair, a set or connectors that hit the flop for a two-pair. Usually you should not back top-pair with your whole stack!
* If you bet and are called in several spots you have to decide whether your hand is the best or not, as it is unlikely that all of your opponents are drawing.

Medium Hand (top-pair with a weak kicker, middle-pair with A kicker, second pocket- pair, etc.)

* Most of the time, you should avoid betting this hand when you are in early position, facing several opponents or facing tricky players who slow-play a lot. You want to get a free card to hit one of your pocket cards on the turn or maybe call/raise an opponent who bets from last position.
* However, if you are in late position and it is checked to you then you should bet.
* If you are