Playing Poker is not solely a game of luck. Although it can be compared to slots, roulette, etc.—games that require huge amounts of good omen—Poker can be played with just plain tactics.There are lots of Poker strategies one can learn. The internet is a major source of different tactics. But watching land-based Poker games can also help you get one or two strategies that you can use to win a game.
For each kind of poker games, e.g. Texas Hold’em, Omaha Poker, etc., there is a different set of rules and guidelines one can observe. Therefore, in order to be successful in these poker games, several strategies should be used. Here are two of the most popular, if not probably the most effective, strategies that every Poker player must learn.
The ‘Positioning’
In Poker, one’s ‘position’ means where one is seated in the table. There are three important positions in any poker game—the early, middle, and late positions. These positions are crucial when it comes to guessing who has the best hand in the table by observing each player’s betting patterns.Betting in Poker is counter-clockwise. This means that, from the dealer, the betting starts from the players on his left going to those on his right. The early position is the position of the first bettor—the player directly on the left side of the dealer. The player in this position is most susceptible of all the players in the table. Since he will start the betting round, he is the first one to be judged by his opponents. If this player is not experienced enough, then his bets might just reveal how his cards fare.
The second position, or the middle position, is ‘safest’ position to be at. Being in the fourth seat after the dealer, the player in this position should already have seen how the players on one side bet, and how the players on the opposite site react. One could use these observations in playing his cards right.
The third position is the late position. This is the position directly on the right side of the dealer—the position of the last bettor. In theory, this could be the best position for any player. Since he will be the last one to bet, he should already have assessed the betting patterns of all his opponents, have judged their reactions toward each other’s bets, and have created his own strategy by the time of his turn.
The ‘Bluff’
Bluffing, in Poker, simply means not showing your opponents how your cards honestly fare against the community cards laid on the table. Usually, players who bluff are either still hoping for their winning card/s to show up or just wanting to win big over his opponents.
For this strategy to be effective, one should use the popular ‘Poker face’. This is the general term for the impassive expression on a poker player’s face while in the game. Most bluffers use this so that their opponents would not notice that they are just faking.
Nowadays, online Poker has been the easiest and most accessible form of Poker one could play. Online Poker rooms have different poker tournaments that anyone can enjoy. If you would want to practice using different poker strategies, find an online poker room fit for you and go play the games!
