08 Mar 2024 bet sizing table selection position bankroll probabilities Many newcomers to poker are eager to learn more than just the rules and basics of the game. It’s always welcome to learn more: not only the rules, but also Texas Holdem strategy, its secrets and tricks. Greater knowledge is guaranteed to help players in their future progress. After all, learning the various aspects of the game will allow you to earn more cash. But the main thing is to approach the issue correctly, and for this purpose we prepared a list of the most common recommendations. Part 1: Texas Hold’em Strategy basics A poker strategy is a detailed plan of action at the table, prescribing a specific type of decision for each situation. Concerning the pros, poker tactics is a very complex algorithm, which can provide several options of decisions for the same situations. Their choice is based not only on math, but also on reading the opponents, psychology, gaming experience, etc. Poker Hold em tactics is a set of rules with all the aspects of the game included: the size of the stack, the size of bets, decision-making depending on position and pocket cards, etc. So what are the most popular types of Texas Holdem strategy for beginners? It’s short, medium and big stack strategies, with which we’ll open our today's material with. Short stacks — basic Texas Hold em strategy The short stack poker strategy is one of the best tactics for beginners because it minimizes losses. Its essence is to play at the table with a small stack of 20 blinds. In this case, it regulates to play premium hands aggressively from any position (high pairs and Ace-King), and in late position, on the button and blinds to expand the range of played pocket hands to Ace with Queen, Jack and Ten and King with Queen. If the above conditions are met, it is required to enter the bidding with a raise, the size of which depends on the number of opponents betting and the size of their bets. This online poker strategy aims to win the pot on the preflop. Winning it without opening community cards allows player to avoid difficult situations on the flop and the next betting rounds, which is beneficial to a beginner who does not have practical knowledge. At the same time, if the opponents have equal powers, and the flop strengthens to best hand, it is necessary to increase the pot as much as possible, seeking to go all-in. Having a short stack minimizes the loss in case the hand ends in failure. Here’s one of the most known Texas Hold em tips: to play any strategy successfully, it’s important to follow bankroll management, which requires a bankroll of at least 20 stacks that you take to the table. Texas Hold'em strategy with big stacks The strategy of playing with a deep stack differs from the previous one. First, the player takes a large stack to the table and aims to maximize the pot in case of good starting cards or a winning combination on the next rounds of bettings. Secondly, the range of playable hands in the early position expands considerably, with the addition of suited connectors and medium pairs to the premium pocket cards. The player's goal is not only to take the pot on preflop, but also to bring the game to the next betting round, to get a winning combination on the flop and the following rounds and to win as big a pot as possible. A deep stack allows you to win huge pots, but on the condition that there are other opponents with full stacks at the table. Therefore, the table should be chosen carefully. This basic Texas Holdem strategy will be more difficult for beginners, as it requires knowledge and application of bluffing techniques, the ability to conduct profitable moves on the flop, turn and river. BSS requires a large amount of bankroll. Medium stack strategy — an alternative to short stacks After the major poker schools made the short stack strategy one of the most popular, many online rooms raised the minimum stack that can be taken to the table. Hence the demand for another medium stack strategy, which has become a worthy alternative. According to this tactic, a stack of 40 blinds will be enough. In this case, the bankroll should be twice as much as required when playing with short stacks. Part 2: advanced tips on how to win at Texas Holdem In addition to the above-mentioned information, there are many other important aspects of Texas Holdem basic strategy that everyone should know about. In order not to stretch our already extensive material too much, we will limit ourselves to the five most important ones. And the first thing we will start the next selection with is determining the probability of winning in each situation at the table. #1: Probability Theory Alright guys, just because you've thoroughly learnt all the rules of Texas poker for beginners, and are successfully putting them into practice, doesn't mean you're 100% ready. In addition to various strategies and tactics, which we will talk about in our other materials, you need to know a couple of important secrets to play successfully. Of course they will positively affect your game online, and open your eyes on how to grind with a more or less, but still stable profit. Surely many of you have seen films where heroes count cards in blackjack, while winning tons of money. This tactic does exist, and it is not based on simple cheating, but on the competent use of probability theory, which is also suitable for Texas Hold'em. Any self-respecting poker player should know how many cards are in the deck initially (of each value and suit), as well as their total number. At certain stages of the game, you will learn about a portion of the cards. Here we’re talking about the total cards on the board and hole cards. This information allows you to calculate the number of cards remaining in the deck (outs), which can be used to make a winning combination. Knowing the total number of outs and remaining cards in the deck, you can calculate the probability that a particular hand like you need will come up or not. If a player knows the percentage probability of a winning with strong hand, then he can make the important decision of whether to invest in the pot to find out the next card, or to fold his pockets and wait for the next game. #2: Bankroll management Our first paragraph has an indirect link to the next one — without a sufficient investment size, you won't be able to realise mathematical expectation. In other words, you can expect to be bankrupt if you don't engage in miscalculations and play for the long term. Therefore, in order to get the expected profit you need to consider the money you put into the game as your investment. In order for them to work, you must always have a reserve — it's just like in business. For example, calculate so that your poker game capital will be enough not for 10 but for several hundred hands. In general, bankroll management really matters! #3: Long-term perspective (distance) Now let’s quickly go back to the probability theory we talked about earlier. It allows a player to increase the number of winning hands. Let's say that the calculations show that he loses 40% of the time, while 60% of the time he wins. However, in order to improve the statistics of wins, the player should increase the number of bets made. For example, a poker player participated in 10 hands and won only 2 of them. His stack ran out and he left the cash game with a negative result. Another poker player, who had more chips, also played 10 hands and won only 2 of them. However, the second player continued to play, realising his mathematical expectation. By increasing the number of hands, he reduced the variance — comparing the winning percentage calculated by probability theory with the real one. In other words, the more hands he plays, the more likely it is that the result will coincide with the calculations. There is one small trick on how to win Texas Holdem: if you play more often, you get more profit. For example, you can bet with a high probability that the desired card will come up. However, in a particular hand, the card may not come up. Despite this information, you should not consider this as a loss, because by playing the same way in hundreds of such deals, you will get your percentage of probability, which will eventually bring you a profit. So play and expect to profit in the long run, and the overall result for all hands will be positive! #4: Poker Table Selection Another simple truth and poker secret: no matter how strong you think you are, there will always be someone who plays better than you. It's even worse when there are multiple sharks at the table at once. So, if you don't realise this, and you don't manage to get out of the game in time, you may suffer a heavy blow to your bankroll. And all because you’ve chosen the wrong table. It’s way better to take your time and spend it on table selection. When you enter the lobby of a poker room, think carefully when choosing a place to seat. Let's say more — not all poker pros know how to choose the right table, so they use paid software that automatically selects the best tables for them. Well, why not? #5: Importance of Rakeback It's no secret that when choosing a poker room, many beginners pay attention to various loyalty programs. These can be bonuses for starting or repeated deposits (called welcome and reload bonus), gift tickets to tournaments, but the priority will always be for such an item as rakeback. By upgrading to VIP levels, a percentage of the commission is returned to the player. And the higher your status is, the more commission poker room will return to your account. It can be 20%, 30%, 40% or even 50%. This is due to the fact that a small part of your winnings constantly go to the income of the poker room, but with, for example, a thousand played hand on real money, this amount can become very decent. When calculating your profits, don't forget to consider the money you can get back as bonuses. Thanks to loyalty points, even an unsuccessful session can have its advantages. So this is it — we’ve mentioned top-5 popular Texas Holdem poker tips. Final thoughts on Texas Hold em strategy For beginners who do not have a lot of experience in the game, it is recommended to use ready-made strategies, developed on the basis of mathematical probability and ensuring profit in the long term. In the case of Hold'em, strategy is one of the most important conditions for success, so beginners are recommended to study one of its types, which will allow them to gain experience with the least expenses and even with profit. Hope these Texas Holdem tips will help. The tactics and other aspects of playing Texas Hold'em are not limited to the ones we have mentioned today. But this information will be more than enough for a successful start. Remember that it's easy to learn the secrets of poker, but it's quite another matter to put them into practice. Work on analytical thinking, constantly analyse everything that happens, behave carefully and disciplined at the table. In the end, you will definitely feel like a competent and intelligent player.