Playing poker for real money is fundamentally different compared to
playing for play money. The rules may be the same, but the difference
is in the way people bet. When winning and losing start making a difference,
people are much more considered when they actually put money into
the pot. We call this playing 'tighter'.
The higher the stakes, the tighter the game.
When moving from play money to real money, you will have to tighten
up your game as well, or you will inevitably lose money. The aim is
to play a slightly tighter game than your opponents. On low limit
tables however, this is no problem. The game is still pretty loose
anyway.
Selecting
Tables
Size of Table
The first decision to be made before playing poker is the size of
the table. The strategy required for playing on a ten player table
is completely different to that of a two player 'heads up'
game. Pick a type of table and stick to it to make sure you learn
it properly.
In general one can say it's more difficult to play No-Limit
than Limit Games and it is more difficult to play short handed than
at a full 10-player table.
Opponents
Choosing your opponents is a powerful ploy to successful poker. By
selecting the right opponents, you maximize your chance of profitable
success. You don't have to be the best player in the world to be profitable
at poker, you just have to be better than the players at your table.
(Actually, you don't have to be the best player at the table either,
as long as you know who the good players are!).
Find players that you are better than.
The first and most obvious piece of advice relating to your opponents
is to find, and play at, your own level. Secondly, there is some statistical
information in the lobby that you can use.
Limit
When, in this document, we refer to low-limit we're talking
about tables with $0.5-$1 and $1-$2. The information here should be
sufficient for you to play on this level.
To play at $2-$4 and $3-$6 you need to understand the concepts described
here on a slightly deeper level and gain some experience of playing.
Statistics
To assist you in finding the right table, you can use the statistics
in the lobby.
Flop Percentage
The flop percentage is the most important figure in determining
the quality of players at the table. It shows how many players
are paying to see the flop. It will give a good indication as
to how loose a game is. On a ten-seat table 25% would be very
tight and 40% pretty loose.
Pot Size Average
Another useful figure is the pot size average. It will also give
an indication on how loose the game is. If the pots are large,
more players are likely to be contributing
Betting
Rounds
This section will give you an introduction in how to adopt your
play from play money to real money in the different stages of the
hand.
Pre-Flop Play the right Hands
The first decision is to select the hands you play. To learn more
on which hands to play and when to play them, it's recommended
that you read a good poker book. A good rule of thumb is to play
fewer hands than your opponents.
In loose low limit games, the pots tend to get big which makes suited
connectors (even low) better as you will win large pots making a
flush or straight.
Small pairs are good if there are many callers.
High cards are sometimes not as good as you might immediately think.
(E.g. QT unsuited is normally not a good hand at a 10 player table)
On the Flop
Abandon bad flops
If the flop doesn't fit, abandon it. It is very expensive to hope
to make something from nothing at the flop. A lot of times you
won't, and a lot of times others will make even better hands
when you actually do improve.
Inside Straight Draws
An inside straight draw is normally not so good to bet with, unless
there is a lot of money in the pot already and the risk of being
raised is very small.
Flush and Straight Draws
A flush or outside straight draw at the flop is normally a good
thing. If there are others in the pot, try to raise - if it doesn't
scare people off - to get more money in, as you will win your
fair share of the hands.
Pocket Pairs
Pocket pairs that haven't made trips on the flop and with over cards on the
flop are not so good. The chance of improving on the turn is very small.
Scares
It is important to identify scares on the table. That is flops
that can make draws for other players. When this happens, you
will probably win less frequently than on a top pair
• Three consecutive or close cards might
very well give someone a straight draw.
• Two consecutive cards may give a two
pair (more connectors played than other cards)
A two flush on the board significantly reduces the profit of a
straight draw. One in four of the cards you are waiting for could
possibly give someone a flush!
On the Turn
Coming to the turn, the bet increases. Here's an opportunity for a
lot of money to be won or lost. Managing to make it two bets on the
turn when you'll win and no bets when you would have lost anyway,
makes a winner in low limit Texas Hold'em! (Easier said than done,
though!)
Check Raise
Frequently go for a check raise on the turn with premium hands, as you're
often checking/folding less good hands on the turn anyway. This way, your
opponent will not be able to read your hand effectively.
Acknowledge Bets and Raises
In low limit games, bluffing is not very common, which leads to
another rule of thumb:
A raise on the turn almost always means that the other player
has a good hand
This is especially true when there are more than two players in
the pot. Don't be surprised if the opponent has trips or
a made flush/straight.
Don't bet on Draws
At the turn, the probability for making your hand is substantially
lower than on the flop, and the number of opponents calling is
probably less. Checking and calling is often the right thing to
do, while betting is mostly wrong. (Unless you think you can scare
the opponent off).
On the River
Checking a weak hand
Normally you should bet out on the river if you feel you have
a strong hand. There is one exception though. If you have a hand
that was good at the flop but unimproved since (like a top pair
with a weak kicker), have continued betting and just been called
throughout the hand, you should probably be checking. The reason
for this is that it is unlikely that you'll be called with a hand worse
than yours (giving you no profit from betting) and you take the
risk that someone has made a stronger hand on the river (maybe
a two pair), and will raise you (making you lose money). This is
a typical no-profit-for-risk scenario.
Seeing it through
Frequently on the river there is enough money in the pots to make
it worthwhile calling a bet, even if you are unsure if you have
the best hand.
Bankroll
Poker is a game of edge. By playing better than the opponents, you
gain an edge and win money. There is, however, a large element of
short-term chance, which results in possible swings. To play consistently,
you'll need to have a sufficient bankroll to survive.
Even a very good poker player may have a bad day, a bad week, or a
bad month!
In low limit poker you can handle the situation of losing your entire
bankroll, as it is in small manageable amounts. Playing high stakes
would require maybe $1,000,000 in bankroll, which is difficult to
replace if lost.
A good starting bankroll would probably be 100 small bets. (On a $1-$2
table, this would require a $100 deposit.) Playing conservatively
will give you a buffer for losing streaks. Depositing less money is
of course possible, but you should be prepared to deposit more to
cover an unlucky streak.
On winning, it's important to build your bankroll in order to
be able to try a higher stakes table. This way you can move up the
limits without any further deposits.
Large Multi-way Pots
In large multi-way pots, the number of players going all the way to
the river constitutes the number of Miracle Rivers thus making your
opponents hands increase. It's all a question of probabilities.
On the other hand, the pot will be large, so by not betting on bad
hands, you'll not have to win too many pots to end up a winner.
Be aware of made flushes and straights, as well as possible third
pairs making trips, so you don't pay unnecessarily over the odds on
the turn or river.
General on Bluffing
In loose low limit poker, bluffing is generally a bad thing and will
not be profitable. Use bluffing scarcely to put people off. It can
sometimes be good to be caught in a bluff early in the game to draw
more callers when you have a good hand later in the game.
