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Poker Strategy
Before you start betting like a madman when you
get two eights in the pocket, you need to carefully consider all factors
involved in solid pre-flop strategy.
The factors to consider are the number of players, how
aggressive/passive the players at the table are, your bankroll, your
position, and how much risk you are willing to entail.
Number of players: With 10 people in the game, it's much more likely
that someone else has a strong hand in the pocket than in a short-handed
game. Also, you'll need to be more cautious in larger games, as the
chances of someone's pre-flop hand fitting the flop will be much better.
More competition means stiffer competition.
How aggressive the players are: Assuming you've been playing with a few
people for several hands, and you noticed some jackass is raising every
hand pre-flop, you'll want to play tighter. Let the guy win the blinds
(big deal) and nail him to the wall when you have a solid hand in the
pocket pre-flop.
Your bankroll: If you have $2 left, you'll want to play extremely
carefully and select one hand to bet on, hoping to get as many players
involved as possible for a larger pot. You'll want to be all-in before
the flop is dealt. On the flip-side, if you have $1000 at a $1/$2 table,
you can take the high-risk, high-payout bets.
Your position: People in late position have the ability to influence the
size of the pot much more than those in early position. This is
especially true pre-flop. (see our page on position for more info)
Your tolerence for risk: Depending on your playing style, you may want
to play more or less aggressively pre-flop. Players who shoot for larger
pots, but don't mind a greater chance for losing a few hands will want
to raise pre-flop, especially if they are in late position. Some players
prefer to be as selective as possible pre-flop, grinding out a winning
hand here or there. It really depends on your own style of play, and how
you perceive the players around you.
Without taking much of this into consideration, you want hands that have
high card value, or the ability to be the best hand (the nuts). You'll
want to seriously consider playing high value cards (queens, kings and
aces), suited (drawing for a flush) and connected (drawing for a
straight) cards, and obviously, always play high pocket pairs (queens or
better).
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