A Betting strategy is built on a simple idea and you should know when to hold’em and when to fold’em. Here are a few situations that can improve your game.
When you are in the dealer’s position and only you and the blinds remain in the game, a raise is called Blind Stealing and this is because the blinds may fold and if you did not raise and only called then the blinds would just check. This is a good way to make double your money.
Should you be the last player to act and your opponents have checked you, betting to just limit the amount of players or to take the pot is called a Steal Raise. It is advised not to use this exclusively as better players will see this and begin to Check Raise your hand will most probably be a poor one. It is best to use a Steal Raise when you are holding a drawing hand such as a flush.
To Check Raise is inspect your opponent’s hand with the intention of making them to bet so that you can raise them back, thus increasing the pot.
The Opener is often done by people who like to bluff and when the person who has to act first raises, making the other players call two bets at once. The intention is to limit the amount of players and this move amounts to a Backwards Steal Raise. This will almost certainly make most of the players fold their cards. Any remaining players will be aggressive or be holding a very good hand. This is also known as betting for information and is best used with few players in on the hand.
Squeezing is betting when you are holding a good hand and presume that another player may be on the draw.
Before you begin betting you need to consider all factors involved in solid Pre-flop strategy. The factors are the number of players, your position, your bankroll, aggressive/passive players at the table and how much you are willing to risk.
With ten players it is likely that someone else has a strong hand in the pocket than in a short handed game. You also need to be more careful in larger games as the chances of someone’s pre-flop hand fitting the flop will be greater. Players in late position are able to influence the size of the pot more so than those in earlier positions. This is a true pre-flop.
Should you only have $2 left then you must play with extreme caution and select a hand to bet on, hoping to get as the other players involved as much as possible to increase the pot. You will have to be all-in before the flop is dealt.
If you have been playing several hands with a few people and see a player that is raising every pre-flop hand you must now play a much tighter game. Let that player win the big blinds and you can hurt him when you have a winning hand in the pocket pre-flop.
Depending on your Poker style you may want to play pre-flop more or less aggressively. Players who go for large pots but do not mind a greater chance of loosing a few hands will want to raise pre-flop, especially if they are in late position. Some players prefer to be selective at pre-flop, patiently waiting out a winning hand.
You want hands that have high card value or the ability to be the best low hand. You must also consider playing high value cards that are suited. Drawing a flush and connected drawing for straight cards. Always play high pocket pairs.
