Heads Up Play
If you get heads up in a Texas Hold’em tournament, you pretty much have to play it out. Don’t be clever or you will lose chips the wrong way.
First off, if you Codeine or any other pill, do not chug it. I know this sound stupid, but you’ll wake up the next morning with a headache, and a couple thousand chips more in hand.
When it comes to calling with hands such as A-10, A-9, K-10, Q-J, small blind and big blind, play them aggressively. Often a hand like A-9 will be called when you have A-K and no one else at the table has strong hands.
Generally you want to be the first to act in a pot. In fact, you can re-raise a raise without having strong hands just to be sure that someone calls. If you have a weak hand, only call a raise in late position or the button.
In the same situation, when you have a very strong hand, you shouldn’t be afraid to bet. Especially in position. If you bet, and someone re-raises, you need to make a decision. You can call, and hope to get paid off. You can also bet and try to pick the hand up.
It is all about betting your hand aggressively. If you make the right sized bet, you will usually get paid off.
Hand Reading
Since you are not allowed to look at your opponents cards, you need to work on your hand reading. This will be easier in a face to face game because you can see your opponents face to face.
However, you can still read your opponents by watching their body language, facial expressions and hand scratching. In low to middle limit games, you can still pick up a lot by watching the way your opponents play their hands.
Always remember that the object of the Poker88 is not to try to fool your opponents. Make smallidates of your opponents. Keep in mind what they say. You will often see a player try to make a big bluff by, for example, moving all-in with a very strong hand. If you decide that the strength of your hand is weak, you will be able to sense when the bluff is suspect.
It is also important to pay attention to your own hand. If you think you have a good hand, you need to stay in the game. If you think you have a weak hand, you should fold. In middle to high limit games, you can wait a little bit to make sure the odds are in your favor before committing to a big raise.
Limping
In middle to high limit games, you should limp into the pot with small suited cards, suited cards, small pairs, connector cards and suited face cards only if low cards force you to play them. Suited connectors such as 8-9 of hearts should also be played in late position.
In early position, you should limp with unsuited cards, small pairs, unsuited face cards, suited cards of four different suits or A-x.
Position
In the beginning, you want to enter the game with good position. A big advantage for a new player is having a door card of the highest value. Of course, good hand position is important, but being in early position, you can be more mobile in your starting hand choice.
As the game progresses, you should adjust differently depending on the number of players around the table. In some games, people tend to race for blinds. In others, people tend to take a more patient approach.
Effective Playing Your Position
In the beginning, you want to play with a wider range of hands. Watch how your opponents react to different situations, and make your moves accordingly.
As the game progresses, position becomes less important, especially in the late stages. Be sure to take advantage of all of the players who fold on the first round. Make a big raise, especially if you expect opposition.
Categorize your opponents
You can use this approach on any player. If you know a particular player always folds when a card hits the board, you can make a strong guess at what card could hit next. If you know a player can never get cards in a straight, you can bet accordingly.
If you know a player rarely raises on the flop, you can raise with any two cards after the flop. If you know a player can handle a raise on the flop, you can bet after the flop if no other player raises.
As the blinds rise, you want to play a more solid hand selection. Do not be afraid to call raises, if your hand has value. If you have a lot of unsure players behind you, however, you want to be less conservative.
