Poker Strategy Answers

When it comes down to questions we have a lot of poker strategy answers. The general consensus with the non poker playing world is that poker is a game of luck. Those who have played the game and understand it, understand it’s a game of skill. Players have to be able to read a board, understand math, understand psychology, all while attempting to make the best hand. While its true that the cards you’re holding don’t determine if you will or will not win the hand (unless you’re playing with someone who doesn’t know how to play, in which case the only thing that matters is the cards you’re holding) its important not to be making moves that will cost you money in the long run.

Yeah, you can bluff your opponent and pick up a pot here and there but sooner or later they will call you. It’s important to pick your spots. If you bluff too much, you’re just throwing away chips. If you keep chasing straights and flushes, you’re throwing away chips. Pick your spots wisely.

So what’s the most important element in poker strategy? Knowing the types of players you are up against. You can learn a lot about a person by watching them play. Notice their hand selection, keep track of whether or not they like to chase, like to play certain hands, etc. People are creatures of habit. Even professional poker players have “favorite” hands they like to play. Granted, the pro is more disciplined about when they’ll play a favorite hand, and have a variety of different ways to play each hand, but they are still creatures of habit. It’s inevitable that a pro will have a certain underlying strategy in which they approach the game.

Let’s take Sammy Farha for instance. You know the guy is going to play a lot of hands and take a lot of risks. Now you’re playing against the player knowing how he likes to play. Yeah, he’ll switch it up here and there but there is an underlying style to which he’s playing. Same applies with any other player. They have an underlying poker personality. They can switch gears from playing only a few hands to playing a few more hands but overall a tight player will be playing tight more than not and a loose player will play loose more often than not. It’s part of the psychology of poker.

Watch some players for a bit. Keep track of what they win with. Keep track of betting patterns. This is much easier to do online than in live play. You can keep notes if you’re playing online without anyone noticing. Watch for patterns and learn some profiles. Then you’ll have your poker strategy answers on how to beat the player.