3 Poker Strategies

Whatever the type of poker that you like to play be it Texas Hold em, five card draw, or stud poker there are many different strategies that you can employ to make your playing both fun and profitable. There are strategies that anyone from a beginner to the most well known poker pros both use although poker strategy differs with regard to live and online play.

The reason that most of the professional players are so good and are profitable in the world of poker is that they do use strategies within their playing style and even a playing style is part of a strategy but the knowing and playing the odds are part of their strategy as well. Let’s take a look at some poker strategies and see if you can find one that fits you.

Deception is a time honored poker strategy that is employed by almost all of the great players. Playing poker deceptively is done to make the opposing players play their game differently than they would otherwise. Bluffing is just such a deception and if it is successful it will prompt a player with a hand superior to yours to fold and give you the winning hand. Slow playing is another deceptive form of play and is the exact opposite of bluffing. A player slow plays with a strong hand and bets low forcing a large bet by the other players and then taking down the pot.

Position is another strategy that professionals employ. A good player will attempt to seat themselves so that they are not forced to be one of the first to bet and are able to observe the play from other players. A player in the right or later position is better able to discern what cards an earlier player may be holding by their reactions. Also when a player’s position becomes better then the cards that that he can play for a profitable hand increase as well.

Reading hands or opposing players tells is another excellent and employed strategy that pros use to their advantage. All players have tells in their style of play and if you watch long enough you will ultimately spot these tells and be able to use them to your advantage. A player’s tells will often be little habits that they have and are often not conscious of. For example they may look down or exhale heavily when they have a weak hand. Subsequently knowing a players tells will help you to read their hands and know whether to fold or play.