Before you start betting
like a man in a hurry to lose all your money when you get
two eights in the pocket, you must consider all factors
involved in solid pre-flop strategy.The factors to consider
are the type of game you are in, 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 take.
The type of game you are in:
If this is one of your
Tuesday night games with your buddies then it is likely
that you are comfortable losing or winning and it doesn’t
really matter, however if you are sitting at a table at
the “World Series Of Poker” then that is a totally
different story. Just bear in mind what game you are sitting
in before you start on a pre-flop strategy that is appropriate
or inappropriate for your game.
Number of players:
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 (a game with
few players). 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. More competition means stiffer
competition. In other words get out of the hand if you are
not there before and after the flop.
How aggressive the players are at your
table:
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.
Your bankroll:
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.
Your position:
People in late positions
have the ability to influence the size of the pot much more
than those in early position. This is especially true pre-flop.
Your tolerance for risk:
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 a latter 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. Without taking much of this
into consideration, you want hands that have high card value,
or the ability to be the best hand (the nut). You'll want
to seriously consider playing high value cards (queens,
kings and aces), suited (drawing for a flush) and connected
(drawing for a straight) cards, and obviously, always play
high pocket pairs (tens or better).
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