Before
starting up
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Determine a threshold of loss for
yourself, and if you cross it stop playing immediately.
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Set aside a certain amount of
playing time and be careful not to go over your self-imposed
limit.
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Don’t play when you’re tired,
upset or under the influence of any substance, licit or illicit.
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Spend a few minutes observing the
table at which you are going to play. This will give you precious
clues about your opponents.
How to Choose a Table.
There are all kinds of Cash Tables
from heads-up to ten-handed, from small limits to $1,000+ blinds.
There are pot limit, fixed limit and no-limit games and, of course,
you can play any for cash.
Firstly, you need to decide whether
to play full or short-handed. You'll play around 60 hands per hour in
a full-ring against up to nine other players. You can also expect to
be dealt up to 60 hands an hour at our fast and furious Turbo tables.
Heads-up cash is just one-on-one.
Joining a Table
Click on Hold'em in the Poker lobby.
You can then select your limit type: Fixed Limit, No Limit or Pot
Limit. Select the name of the game you are interested in and
additional information will appear in the table information panel to
the right of the screen.
Either double click or press the
Play/Watch button underneath the table information panel to open up
the table. Then click on 'Seat Open' and away you go.
Basic Strategy
Tournament Poker may have some major
swings but Cash Games will truly test your skills. If you're a first
time cash player you should try to play the opposite to the rest of
the table. So, if everyone's playing aggressively, you should play
passively and trap with your big hands. If you're opponents are timid,
you should make lots of bets and win pots without a fight. Don't just
play your hand, play the player too!
No Limit Hold'em Rules
If you're a new No Limit Hold'em
player, you might want to start out by learning the rules
of No Limit Hold'em. That page will teach you how to play the
game, and will help new players understand the rules and structure of
Texas Hold'em. After you learn the rules, then you can read the
strategy articles above to get some great tips for winning the game.
Playing Tight/Aggressive
The best and quickest way to improve
your poker strategy is by adopting a tight and aggressive approach at
the tables. What this means is that you wait for solid hands, and then
play then aggressively. This allows you to win the most money, because
when the money goes in you will have a solid hand, and you also won't
be bossed around by other aggressive players.
Play Within Your Limits
Another simple way to avoid going
broke is to always remember your bankroll, and make sure to stay
within its limits. For No Limit Hold'em ring games, you should keep at
least 50 buy-ins to the game you play in your account at all times.
This means that if you are a $.50/$1 player, you should have $5,000 in
your account to avoid going broke. This may seem excessive for some
casual online players, but if you are serious about maintaining a
bankroll you should follow that advice.
If you lose during your session
-
Don’t play at a limit higher
than your own. You’re more likely to lose everything than to
recover your losses.
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Never make a loss against someone
into a personal issue. Trying to beat a specific player is the
quickest way to lose your hard earned bankroll.
-
Don’t play more hands just to
catch up. Staying with your usual selection will help you in the
long run.
When you turn off the computer
-
Think about the instances where
you negotiated a certain hand badly and try to understand how you
could have done better. Go back through each street of the hand
and pick out areas where you could have made a better play.
-
Check to see what your percentage
of important wins was. If you are often below 65%, rethink your
game
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Be objective with yourself,
neither too easy nor too hard. Was it just an unlucky evening or
did you play poorly throughout ?
How
to Play Cash Games