Texas Poker Tips Tricks

PokerNews Staff

Texas Poker Tips Tricks 4
Texas Poker Tips Tricks 1x2
Dh Texas Poker Tips And Tricks
Texas Poker Tips Tricks Fun

In no-limit hold'em, the term 'slow playing' doesn't typically refer to players thinking about their decisions for a long time and playing their hands too slowly — although that is a commonly discussed topic these days, especially in tournaments. Rather, slow playing usually refers to a player playing a strong hand weakly in order to encourage opponents to stay in the hand and hopefully contribute more chips to a pot the player expects to win.

If you've heard the term 'sandbagging,' the idea is similar. A player who flops the nuts watches his opponent lead with a bet, and instead of raising he just calls or 'sandbags' in order to disguise the strength of his hand.

If you think about it, slow playing is a little like other non-straightforward plays like check-raising or bluffing. You have a strong hand, but you choose not to represent strength and just check or call rather than bet or raise. Slow playing is essentially a deceptive play, and if executed smartly can result in your winning a bigger pot than you might have had you played your strong hand 'fast' with bets and raises.

Follow the below poker tips to improve your cash game at the poker table. Poker Cash Game Strategy Tips from Daniel Negreanu (with Video) To submit requests for assistance, or provide feedback regarding accessibility, please contact support@masterclass.com. Texas Holdem Poker Winning Tips & Tricks For some people, their love of playing cards extends to the occasional game of poker including the increasingly popular game of Texas Holdem. As with all card games, there is no guaranteed way of winning but there are tips and tricks you can learn to improve both your enjoyment of the game and your. One of my top Texas Holdem tips is to always be aware of what type of poker player you are up against. For example, you will frequently encounter Nits, TAGs, LAGs, SLAGs, fish and so on. Here is a complete list by the way of all the poker player types and how to beat each one. Call with Ace-anycard suited, King-ten suited, Queen-ten suited, Jack-ten suited, Ace-Jack, Ace-ten and small pairs. A stronger hand of cards is needed to call a raise than to make one and if there is a raise before it is your turn to play then you should probably fold.

Below are two short lists of 'do's' and 'don'ts' when it comes to slow playing. The discussion mainly focuses on slow playing after the flop, although a player could slow play before the flop, too. For example, someone with pocket aces in the big blind might watch a very loose player raise from late position, then decide only to call rather than reraise, looking instead to start building a big pot after the flop arrives.

We're focusing mainly on postflop poker here, though — that is, the flop and the turn, streets on which if you do hold a strong hand, you have an option to play your hand fast or slow. (There's no slow playing on the river — the action ends after that betting round!)

Slow Playing: Three Do's

Let's imagine a situation when you've flopped very strong and slow playing might be an option — say, you have and an eight appears on the flop to give you a set. You almost certainly have the strongest hand. What factors might encourage you to play non-straighforwardly with it and slow play?

1. Do Slow Play... Versus Loose and/or Aggressive Opponents

Some players will use a bet-big-early strategy to win Texas Hold’em, and while this may work, it also means you’re more likely to lose-big. Instead, try a strategy where you make smaller early bets to see some action before you try to over bet for other players to fold on the flop or turn (to tell them you drew something).

Slow playing works best when you are facing opponents who play a high percentage of hands (are 'loose') and who show a tendency to bet and raise a lot postflop (are 'aggressive'). These players will frequently 'bet the hand for you,' so to speak, and start building a pot, often on the flop.

Against such players it can be profitable to just to call (or if out of position, to check and then call) on the flop, then perhaps raise the turn with your set. Of course, against some loose players you'll want to go ahead and bet your strong hand and let them raise you, as that might be a better way to get even more chips in the middle.

When you slow play you are essentially setting a 'trap' in which you hope to catch an opponent (and capture his or her chips as a result). The strategy will often work more effectively against loose-aggressive players who are more likely to fall into the trap you are setting. It also works in situations when players don't seem to be paying attention to how you've been playing, say in low-stakes live games or in some online poker games.

2. Do Slow Play... On 'Dry,' Non-Coordinated Boards

So you've flopped a set with your — let's say the board reads . That's a very 'dry' or non-coordinated flop, presenting no immediate flush or straight draws. This would be a favorable situation to slow play your set, for a couple of reasons.

One reason is that you don't fear giving a 'free card' that might complete some draw for your opponent. On this flop, there are almost no turn cards that can hurt your hand, meaning your set of eights is almost certainly likely to still be best following the turn.

A second reason is that if you bet this flop, you'll often earn folds and a tiny pot when you stood to gain so much more. As we talked about when discussing 'set mining,' it's rare to flop a set, and when we have hands this strong we want to win big pots. Lead out with a bet on a dry board like this, and anyone without a king or pocket pair of their own is likely to go away.

3. Do Slow Play... In Heads-Up Situations

The advice here isn't always to slow play when you're heads-up, but rather to be more encouraged to slow play against a single opponent than in multi-way pots. Especially if your lone opponent is loose and/or aggressive and the board is not too coordinated, slow playing can be a reasonable option to try.

Multiple opponents add complexities to a postflop situation that can make slow playing a bad option (see below).

Try WSOP Social Poker Today

Now that you've learned all about slowplaying, how about putting your new found skills to the test by heading to WSOP Social Poker and slowplaying some of your opponents there? Don't worry if you make a mistake because all cash games and tournaments are free at WSOP Social Poker, meaning you can hone your skills until you've perfected them without ever worrying about losing a single cent!

Play Now

Slow Playing: Three Don'ts

Let's continue with the same situation — you've flopped that set of eights — and look at three factors that should discourage you from slow playing your strong hand.

1. Don't Slow Play... Versus Tight and/or Passive Opponents

Slow playing is generally a bad idea when your opponents tend to fold a lot and play few hands (are 'tight') and when they do play are doing a lot of checking and calling (are 'passive'). These players cannot be counted on to bet themselves, and so you need to do the work of building a pot once you've flopped that monster.

After flopping a set, leading out with a bet against such players is often a good strategy. If they are tight and only play strong starting hands, they are more likely to have something of value with which to call your bet. Also, passive players like to call and stick around to see turns and rivers.

Don't bother with trying to 'trap' such players by slow playing, as you're more likely to miss value postflop.

2. Don't Slow Play... On 'Wet,' Coordinated Boards

Let's imagine different flops for your set of eights, say or — boards that are 'wet' or coordinated because they potentially give your opponents flush or straight draws. It should be clear why these boards are less favorable for slow playing, and again we can cite a couple of reasons why.

First, you obviously don't want to be checking these flops and giving your opponents a chance at that 'free card' on the turn that might complete their draws. On both of these boards, there are a lot of turn cards you wouldn't like to see that could make you less confident about your set.

Also, these are boards that are more likely to have hit your opponents' hands — they may have those draws, or they might have one-pair or even two-pair hands and will therefore be more likely to call if you bet. If they do have, say, just a pair and the turn is a 'scare card' that appears to complete a draw, they might shut down after that which means you'll miss value later on in the hand.

(Be smart, though. Some boards are going to be so wet you'll want to put on the brakes — not to slow play, but to control the size of the pot. If you're looking at on the turn, your set of eights isn't such a strong hand anymore.)

3. Don't Slow Play... Versus Multiple Opponents

Finally, as we were noting above, if you flop a set or some other very strong hand in a multi-way pot, you'll more than likely want to bet the hand (or raise someone else's bet) and not slow play.

With multiple opponents there's a greater likelihood someone has a piece of the flop and will give you the action you desire. Multiple opponents also mean more turn and river cards can be potentially bad for you by improving someone to a potentially better hand.

Conclusion

We have two final thoughts regarding slow playing to consider.

First, you'll encounter exceptions to all of the 'do's' and 'don'ts' listed above — that is, in some rare instances you might actually want to play fast against a certain opponent even though the board is dry, or to slow play strong hands versus multiple opponents. Consider the tips above as rules of thumb to follow, but like all such rules in poker, be ready to break them if circumstances strongly suggest you should.

Try your new strategies out for free at WSOP Social Poker and it will not matter if the read you have on your opponent is wrong because you won't be risking a dime playing on this awesome free site.

Lastly, don't slow play a big hand just for the sake of being different or to make a 'fancy,' non-straightforward play. That's the biggest 'don't' we can recommend, actually. Only slow play if the situation suggests doing so represents the best avenue toward winning the biggest pot possible. In fact, you'll probably find in most cases the 'don'ts' will prevail and it's going to be better to bet your sets and very strong hands postflop.

Also in this series...

Ready to take a seat at the table? Put these hold'em tips into practice at WSOP Social Poker?.

_{This article was originally published on Jul. 22, 2016. Last update: Jun. 15, 2019.}

Tags
cash game strategytournament strategyno-limit hold’emslow playingpostflop strategybeginner strategy

It’s no secret why Texas hold ’em Poker is one of the most popular games in the world, gambling or otherwise. The thrilling combination of skill and luck, the excitement of a hard-earned victory, and of course the chance of winning a pile of money all add up to an exhilarating experience, whether you’re playing at home with friends or in a casino tournament.

While your chances of winning depend on the luck of the draw, Texas hold ’em Poker also requires strategic thinking and the ability to make the best out of a lousy hand. If you want to improve your poker skills and increase your odds of winning, try these 6 tips at your next game:

1. Play to Your Table Position

Where you’re sitting at the poker table can have a significant impact on your strategy. For instance, when you’re “on the button,” you’re the last person to act in the betting round, which means you can make an informed decision based on how many other players are still in the hand. If your position is at the small blind, you must act first, which can be tricky if you don’t start with a strong hand. The position shifts after each hand, so your strategy must shift as well depending on your cards.

2. Keep Focusing on Your Opponents

It’s easy to get wrapped up in your own hand and forget about what the other players are doing, but always be aware of how many chips they still have, their betting trends, and who bluffs and who doesn’t. As an example, if a player who consistently bets $10 suddenly bets $50, that could indicate they have a strong hand. Conversely, if a player loses a big hand and starts the next hand with a big bet, it could be based on frustration instead of a lucky draw. But the slyest players will try to use your assumptions against you,

so keep an eye out for their “tells,” unconscious behavior clues that can give you insight into whether or not they’re bluffing.

3. Don’t Be Afraid to Fold After the Flop

Beginner poker players are usually reluctant to fold after the flop because they’ve already invested money in the pot and they figure they might as well see what happens. But even if you start with a strong hand, the flop can still do you in. If the flop doesn’t improve your hand and you’re not in possession of a strong pair, it’s probably a better bet to get out before possibly losing big.

4. Learn the Art of Semi-bluffing

Effective bluffing is a skill shared by most high-level poker players, and the best way to bluff is to let your cards dictate whether to bluff or not, also called semi-bluffing. If your hand isn’t particularly strong but it has the potential to improve on a later draw, that gives you an “out” just in case your bluff gets called. This is much preferred to bluffing with “nothing” hands, although many pros are skilled enough to get away with it.

5. Bluff Aggressively When Your Opponent Shows Weakness

While bluffing with “nothing” hands is tricky, there is one instance when you should feel free to bluff with abandon: when your opponent shows weakness. Opponents who check on the flop and the turn usually have a relatively weak hand, and they’ll typically fold if faced with multiple bets. If you notice this happening, it could work to adopt an aggressive bluffing strategy that includes semi-bluffs along with pure “nothing” hand bluffs.

6. Never Stop Learning

You might think the best poker players in the world know the secrets to winning and don’t need to learn anything new, but it’s not true—the most successful and skilled poker players constantly work on their game. Beyond reading up on tips and tricks, one way to continue the learning process with Texas hold ’em is to practice with different scenarios to see what’s the most mathematically advantageous decision. There are several online tools available to experiment with different hands and how they would fare against a variety of possible opponent hands. Having this information in the back of your mind while playing could mean the difference between winning the pot and losing it all.