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By John Mehaffey

There are many different ideas on the strategy of poker. Some would say poker is a game of luck. Even though there is luck involved it does not determine why time after time some win at poker while others consistently lose. Poker is clearly a game of strategy. Knowing when it is time to bet your strong hand and knowing when to bluff out a weak hand. One needs to have a strategy to get the most money in the pot when they have a strong hand. To win at poker, one must have strong math skills, knowledge of their opponents, a strong ability to read these opponents, the ability to play ones betting position and to protect your bankroll. Those are just a few of the strategies involved in poker. Since Texas Hold'em is by far the most popular poker room game I will give examples on strategies I use in that game even though most of these strategies would apply in any home game with most any made up game.

My first strategy is to play mathematically correct in regard to pot odds. You should only call when the reward is greater than the risk. Chasing hands with two or four outs is usually a bankroll killer. Chasing hands such as inside straights or small pairs can be a disaster. These will not hit enough because the pot size will not justify calling such low percentage plays. The only exceptions could be where there are a lot of callers and the pot is already big and you are drawing into a gutshot, or inside straight, with two over cards and the straight would be the nuts. Hitting one of your over cards might give you the best hand as well. Chasing ace high flush draws are always a good bet at flop as are most flush draws. Just be careful if board pairs and the betting get out of hand.

My second strategy of poker is when I sit down at a real brick and mortar poker room my first action is to check out the other players. I will always wait for the blind to come to me before I play. During this time I will study the other players and within two rounds I will study their play. I play very few hands at first. I find it easier to read other players when I am out of a hand. I will watch how the players act before they win hands, their looks when they picked up a good hand, when they hit the river or any nervous habit I can peg on them. This is a skill that is not useful in today's online poker world. When playing online, one must just keep notes and remember that certain players chase and flop any start hand.

There are other strategies of poker. Position plays a key in poker. In Texas Holdem and Omaha you want to have the dealer position also known as the button. Being able to play this position is a key. A good player will take advantage of early bets and raises to get free draws on the turn or river into a straight or flush. Also from this position a player holding a mediocre hand could always raise to steal the blinds from tight players. It is best to only play the best hands in first position because of the betting advantage other players will have on you. One should fold most hands in this position unless they are in the shorthanded game.

You should always be careful of your bankroll. Even a pro will go down to a lower limit when times are rough. You must always play within your means. Making a small buy in to a high limit game usually ends in a total loss. One hundred dollars in a ten/twenty game will not last long. It seems a lot of players do not have the discipline to leave if they win a big pot in this situation so I feel it is best to avoid these short buy high limits opportunities. It is better to save a little money and slowly rebuild your bankroll than to go broke trying for a big score in limit that is out of your league. There is nothing worse than going broke and having to start all over again. These are just a few of the strategies I use. There are so many others out there and every player has a different set of rules they play by. Some players have no strategy at all and others simply do not care whether they win or not, they just want to play. Use these strategies and you can be a winner at poker.

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