Tag Archives: strong hand
Made Hands, Monsters to Mice (Page 1 of 3)
After the flop, much of the strength of your hand depends on the character of the flop. Obviously, if you start with a pair, and make trips, a full house or four of a kind, you have a big hand, these are the Monsters. What is not so obvious is how the strength of your hand changes when you hit a fair hand, but get a flop that may have helped one, or more, of your opponents.
In the rare situation where you have a monster, hope that someone either bets, or catches a card on the turn so they can call your bet. You have an almost unbeatable hand, and the other players are going to be scared off by the flop. Your goal in this situation should be to keep as many players around as possible, and to get as much money in the pot as possible.
With your biggest hands, you may want to slow play and entice someone else into betting. But, in those rare cases when you have the best hand and other players are betting and rising, join in and help to build the pot. After all, it is almost certainly going to be yours. If the board later pairs, and there us any betting, you may be facing a full house.
Two Pair
Flopping top 2 pair when you have 2 different cards in your hand, is a very strong hand. Top and bottom pair is also a very strong hand. Since you will usually be playing premium cards, top 2 pair will often give someone else a straight draw, and/or a flush draw.
As a result, you should not slow play these hands. Your goal is to force players out of the hand, and charge those that stay. While this hand warrants raises and re-raises, lots of action could mean they have a set. If so, or a straight or flush is possible, you could be drawing to only 4 outs.
If the pot has already gotten large, you should call it down. If the pot is not large, or you are positive that the other player has you beaten, with 4 outs you need pot odds of 11:1 to make the call profitable.
When you have 2 pair, and 1 is on the board, your hand is not as strong as the split 2 pair. Another player may already have trips, or a higher 2 pair. If a card higher than your pair hits the board, it could make someone a higher 2 pair. There could also be other draws out that may beat your 2 pair.
This is another situation to play aggressively, to chase players out, win the pot immediately, or at least make it expensive for players to draw. If you are raised, or check raised, on the turn, you may be up against trips. But, by now, the pot has gotten big. You may want to back off and call, but you shouldnt fold unless you are sure you are beaten, or you are facing 3 bets cold.
Top Pair
Top pair, good kicker is a very strong hand. This is 1 reason to treat Big Slick, Ace and King, as a strong hand. With a flop of King, Eight, Three, and 3 different suits you have an excellent hand. The only card higher than the flop pairs your Ace, giving you top 2 pair. There are no flush or straight draws, so you are only worried about Ace, Ace, King, King, or a pair of Eights or Threes in the hole.
Top Ten Tips To Successful Poker Bluffing Strategy. (Page 1 of 2)
If it was not for bluffing Poker would be a very boring game. Players would simply put their bets and the best hand would always win on the strength of cards. Bluff in poker is a deception which keeps your opponents alert and when done properly bluffs can help you win more money. Whether you play poker online or live you will notice that players who know when and how to bluff are usually a lot more successful in their game than those who bluff too much or never bluff at all. Poker players who bluffs too often go broke very quickly and those who do not bluff at all not only play a very boring game but also make themselves a easy target to their opponents as they are so easy read. So to be successful in poker you need to take the middle ground approach and be prepared to be caught at times. We hope that when you bluff next time you will keep the following points of poker bluffing strategy in mind to improve your chances and hopefully pull it off.
1. How many players are you bluffing against? You can bluff successfully against one very rarely two people. Never attempt to bluff your way when there are a lot of people in the pot, chances are that you will not succeed.
2. Did you get caught bluffing? Its a good news! Yes it cost you some money but now your opponents know that you do bluff and will be more likely to challenge you when you have a strong hand expecting it to be another bluff.
3. Never bluff a “Calling Station”. If your opponent tends to call every hand bluffing will not work with him and will cost you money. Save your bluffs for good opponents and especially for tough conservative players as they are your ideal audience.
4. Dont bluff just for the sake of it. You dont need to advertise your bluffing too often. Only bluff when you have reasonable grounds to believe that you a fair chance to pull it through. You will have enough advertising value as some of your bluffs will be caught and your opponents will know that you bluff anyway.
5. Try to establish a tight aggressive image at the table. Most of the time play good starting hands and fold the weaker ones. When your opponents are used to seeing you playing a tight aggressive game this is the time to strike. You will be a lot less likely to be called.
6. Imply a specific hand such as a straight of flush rather than raising just out of the blue with a hopeless hand when the board indicates no particular strong hand possibility.
7. Do not bluff when there are more cards to come. Semi-bluffing is the best strategy here as can either get your draw or your opponents might fold.
8. It is a good time to bluff if your opponents checked to the previous round. Its even better if they checked on the flop. However if the next open card helped one of the other players your chance will diminish.
9. Keep your position in mind, its best to bluff from an early position rather than if your opponent checked on you. Betting or raising from the first position indicated that you really have a strong hand and your opponent would be more likely to fold a marginal hand than he would be if he checked and you bet.