Slightly more advanced poker strategy

Follow these top strategy tips and turn yourself into an online card shark.

1.  Hand selection

Knowing when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em, as Kenny Rogers once sang, is a fundamental part of good poker strategy.

In Texas Hold ’Em, there are 1,326 combinations of possible hole cards you can be dealt, and the odds of being dealt a delicious pair of aces are a remote 220/1!

Still, if you get an Ace-Ace, you should definitely raise before the first three community cards are placed on the board.

You should also raise with the following premium pairs: King-King, Queen-Queen, Jack-Jack, Ace-King and Ace-Queen.

Small pairs (e.g 3-3) as well as suited connectors (e.g 7 spades-8 spades) should be played speculatively. In other words, call them or maybe a small raise. Then you should cross your fingers and hope to get some good cards on the flop.

2.  Avoid weak aces

Playing aces accompanied by weak cards (Ace-7 down to Ace-2) can land you in a lot of bother  – as well as harm your wealth.

An ace may look seductive after 10 hands of junk, but there is a good chance one of your opponents also holds an ace, but with a better kicker (e.g Ace-Jack). If an ace lands on the board at the flop, you could end up going to war and getting your fingers burnt. My advice for weak aces: muck them. In other words, you should fold and wait for the next hand. 

3.  Continuation bets

Let’s say you raise pre-flop with Ace-King and another player behind you calls. The flop is an innocuous looking 10, 6, 4.

You don't have a pair or anything better but your opponent is probably in the same situation. Remember, most hands miss most flops; the chances of your hand connecting in some way is just 30%.

This is time to fire a continuation bet (known as a ‘c-bet’) of between half and three-quarters of the pot and, more often than not, your opponent will fold.

However you should proceed with caution against multiple opponents. Also be careful if the flop has the potential to make a straight or a flush.  

4.  Read the signals

In a casino you can pick up tells in order to deduce other players’ hands. Online, of course, you are virtually blind.

However, there are giveaways such as 'timing tells'. A rule of thumb is that a quick check usually means your opponent has nothing.

An instant bet is often a bluff too. If he pauses for few seconds before betting it means he has a hand and is assessing how to get you to call. Small or minimum bets into a big pot are also a sign of weakness. 

5.  Keep your emotions in check

If you have a big loss, take deep breaths and maybe take a 20-minute break. The online games will still be there when you get back. The worse thing to do is load up another game and make basic mistakes. Learning how to control your emotions is key piece in the poker strategy jigsaw. 

6.  Maximise winnings

We've saved the best piece of poker strategy for last. It’s a simple idea but one that many new players ignore. Play big pots with big hands and small pots with small hands.

If you have a really strong hand and you try to induce a bluff by checking, the pot will stay small and you won't win much cash.

Conversely, some players over-bet when they only have one pair and throw too much money into the pot when the board could potentially help several other players. Keep these pots small because when the dust settles your pair could easily be beaten.

If you've read this far, we're guessing that you're still pretty keen to play poker online. Maybe you've taken the plunge and done some real money play already. But if you think now is a good time to risk some of your hard-earned cash, why don't you read one last article - Sharks patrol these waters. It will remind you that online poker rooms can be dangerous, and it will also give you some tips on how to survive.