Poker Tips – Pre Flop Strategy

Poker Tips – The first time you would need to take a decision on whether to continue playing a round or to fold is pre flop. This is where the pre flop strategy comes in to help you decide if you are going to take part in that particular round before the first three community cards are dealt.

Knowing the good poker starting hands doesn’t guarantee you instant success. You need a solid pre flop strategy to go with this to help you in winning more hands.

Poker Tips – Pre Flop Strategy

The factors to consider as part of a pre flop strategy are the number of players, how aggressive/passive the players at the table are, your bankroll, your position, and how much risk you are willing to entail.

How many players are playing?

With 10 people in the game, it’s much more likely that someone else has a strong hand in the pocket than in a short-handed game. Also, you’ll need to be more cautious in larger games, as the chances of someone’s pre-flop hand fitting the flop will be much better. If there is more competition, then there is usually stiffer competition.

How aggressive are they?

Assuming you’ve been playing with a few people for several hands, and you noticed some jackass is raising every hand pre-flop, you’ll want to play tighter. Let the guy win the blinds (big deal) and nail him to the wall when you have a solid hand in the pocket pre-flop.

What does your bankroll look like?

If you have $2 left, you’ll want to play extremely carefully and select one hand to bet on, hoping to get as many players involved as possible for a larger pot. You’ll want to be all-in before the flop is dealt. On the flip-side, if you have $1000 at a $1/$2 table, you can take the high-risk, high-payout bets.

What is your position?

People in late position have the ability to influence the size of the pot much more than those in early position. This is especially true pre-flop.

What risk are you willing to take?

Depending on your playing style, you may want to play more or less aggressively pre-flop. Players who shoot for larger pots, but don’t mind a greater chance for losing a few hands will want to raise pre-flop, especially if they are in late position. Some players prefer to be as selective as possible pre-flop, grinding out a winning hand here or there. It really depends on your own style of play, and how you perceive the players around you.

Pre Flop Strategy Summary:

Without over-thinking your pre flop strategy, you basically need to look for hands that have high card value, or have the ability to be the best hand. You would want to seriously consider playing high value cards, suited cards and connected cards (when going for a straight) and the obvious one is always play if you have a high pocket pair.

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– Crazy Poker
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