GENERAL POKER STRATEGY FOR PRE FLOP BETTING IN LIMIT

HOLDEM

PRE FLOP BETTING CHART FOR TEXAS HOLDEM POKER

RANK POKER HAND BETTING POKER STRATEGY

1 A-A B, R, RR SUPERTIGHT

2 K-K B,R,RR SUPERTIGHT

3 Q-Q B,R SUPERTIGHT

4 A-K (suited) B SUPERTIGHT

5 J-J B,R SUPERTIGHT

6 A-K B SUPERTIGHT

7 A-Q (suited) B SUPERTIGHT

8 10-10 B SUPERTIGHT

9 A-J (suited) B SUPERTIGHT

10 A-Q B SUPERTIGHT

11 A-10 (suited) B TIGHT

12 A-J B TIGHT

13 A-10 B TIGHT

14 K-Q (suited) C TIGHT

15 K-J (suited) C TIGHT

16 K-Q C TIGHT

17 9-9 C TIGHT

18 K-10 (suited) C MODERATE

19 Q-J(suited) C MODERATE

20 K-J C MODERATE

21 8-8 C MODERATE

22 Q-10 (suited) C MODERATE

23 K-10 C MODERATE

24 7-7 C MODERATE

25 J-10 (suited) C MODERATE

26 6-6 C MODERATE

27 Q-J C MODERATE

27 Q-10 C MODERATE

29 J-10 C MODERATE

30 5-5 C MODERATE

31 4-4 C MODERATE

32 3-3 C MODERATE

33 10-9 (suited) C AGRESSIVE

34 2-2 C AGRESSIVE

35 9-8 (suited) BC AGRESSIVE

36 10-9 BC AGRESSIVE

37 8-7 (suited) BC AGRESSIVE

38 7-6 (suited) BC AGRESSIVE

39 9-8 BC AGRESSIVE
 40 All Others F VERY AGRESSIVE

Legend: B=Bet, R=Raise, RR=Re Raise, C=Call,

BC=Button Call, F=Fold
Note: The above poker strategy pre flop betting chart is just a general guide to
fall back on. As you become more advanced you will learn that there may be
times to raise with a hand you may normally call on or call with a poker hand
you would normally raise with. Sometimes even betting a hand you would fold
can be a good thing. Rember Dan Harrington in the 2004 WSOP. He kept his
tournament life alive by going all in with the 6 and 3.

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POKER - POKER STRATEGY - BETTING CORRECTLY

Finally, it is time for the meat and potatoes of our poker discusson of betting
strategy. This is the most difficult part in poker to master because there are
millions of possible situations and many times only one right answer.
However, considering the different strategies each hand, each round, and each
game will help you achieve your ultimate goal of winning. For our purposes
we will look at poker betting strategies from a tight poker player, moderate
poker player, and an aggressive poker player's standpoint. Keep in mind that
during your play; there will be situations where it will be best to play super
tight/very conservative or times to play very loose/aggressive. We will discuss
some situations in detail soon but first:

Consider the poker games table stakes and all of the poker player types that
were discussed earlier in (Sizing Up The Opposition) and (Which Holdem
Game is Best For You). This will set the foundation for your best betting style
to come.

A. Generally a good poker strategy on a loose game is to play

tight. The reason is that while everyone is haphazardly throwing
money into the pot, you can sit and wait for the good hands.
When you hit, you will clean up. However, there may be some
benefits to playing a few weaker starting hands such as POT
ODDS. We will discuss pot odds in detail in a minute.

B. On a tight poker game it can be a beneficial poker strategy to

play loose. This being that you will be stealing blind money and
since everyone is in a folding mood anyway, why not take the
pot when you can. Keep in mind that you could run yourself
into a brick wall if you’re not careful. The guy sitting there with
the best hand possible, AA- THE BEST POSSIBLE
 STARTING HAND, may be slow playing (Not betting when
they should) you since your betting into him.

C. Should you be fortunate enough to be on a moderate poker

game with some tight players, some loose players and some
moderate players, the best poker strategy may be to play as the
timing seems right. Switch back and forth from conservative to
aggressive depending on what the players surrounding you
think.

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Poker Strategy - Deceive your opponents as to what type of player you are.
In other words, let them know you are loose player by playing and raising a
crazy hand you may lose or even win like 2,3 of diamonds and then play super
tight for a few hours with those top 10 betting hands. After you get caught with
very, very good cards for a while, play very loose hands until you get caught
with a bad hand, then switch back to playing tight. By the time several hours
have passed the other players won’t know what you have and will always be
very afraid of you.
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Poker Strategy - Be aware of your button position on the poker table. 1-3
spots behind the button gives you better chances of winning with a weaker
poker hand. If you are in the blind you can often play weaker hands as well
since you’re already invested. However, 1-3 spots in front of the blind can
mean you will have more competition to contend with should you decide to
play, therefore you will need a good starting hand. The spots in the middle of
the table in relation to the dealer button can be played either way, but for the
most part, we recommend playing the top 10-15 hands in these positions.
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Poker Strategy - Watch the stacks! Seriously if your getting low on poker
chips it may be a really bad time to try to bluff someone out as they can look at
your stack of poker chips and notice that there maximum risk is limited. You
should also be aware of others chip stacks for the same reason. By all means if
you have decent cards, call or raise if your risk is very low.
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Poker Strategy - Keep a straight face (poker face) and don’t get over
emotional. Emotional players are easier to read because you can see that they
are about to bust out jumping for joy or getting ready to burst into tears. 
Remember, it is only money/ poker chips! It is not yours nor is it gone until the
hand is over.  When the poker hand is over, it is OK to release your tensions. 
However, keep in mind that if you do something very profound, the other
players may notice and be on the lookout for future poker tells.
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LOW LIMIT HOLDEM POKER STRATEGY

Limit Holdem players will most often play much different than NL Holdem
players because it is much more difficult to bluff people out.  Because of this
fact, in Limit Holdem many hands won't be decided until the river card is
exposed where as in No Limit Holdem often a winner is decided before the
flop or turn card comes up. In limit holdem, the winning hand more often
comes down to who gets lucky on the river .  Since this is most often the story
at the casinos, your best playing style will probably be tight.  You can refer to
the top for our suggested pre flop bets.  At this time, you should also note that
in low limit holdem, often KQ, QJ, and J-10 suited play much better than they
normally would in NL holdem.  Again this is because the winner of the hand is
often not determined until the river card.

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YOUR BUTTON POSITION IN THE POKER GAME

Poker Strategy - When you are on the button or close to the button in
texas holdem, you could gain the opportunity to be the last person to act or
bet.  This advantage is huge when a strange flop comes up because those in
front of you with AK, AQ, AJ or 33 may check.  Therefore, sometimes a small
bet will often win you the pot and who knows,  maybe you caught something
to match your mediocre cards. However, please note that with a weak bet,
many if not most players will stay with thier AK, AQ, A anythinng, and small
pairs if they think they can out draw you for cheap. This is a good time for us
to mention representing your cards. If you bluffing, you certainly need to
represent that you have the cards you want the other players think you may
have. If you misrepresent, it could cost you all of your chips.
Poker Strategy - When you are in the blinds, you can play some weaker
hands.  This is because you will almost always have pots odds and many times,
it will cost you very little to see the flop.  Therefore you can play 2-3 suited, 6-
7 suited, or even 6-8 suited and justify doing so.
Poker Strategy - If you are in front of the blinds, play tight or just the top 15
starting hands.  This will keep you from wasting a lot of bets when one or two
people behind you raise and just can't call with you pair of 2's for that kind of
money.  Unless of course there is a bad beat jackpot offered.
Poker Strategy - If you're in the middle of the poker table, pay plenty of
attention to the people in back of you.  If they all look like they are going to
fold, go ahead and play some moderate hands.  In this case if no players are in
front of you, it may be best to raise.  It will help you figure out what someone
has behind plus it will help get those behind you out and keep the blinds from
playing very weak hands.  No matter what flops, you should bet or raise if you
raised pre flop unless you know your walking into certain doom.  Sometimes,
raising if there is one player in front of you will entice everyone else to fold. 
People will assume that he has a decent hand and will assume you have an
even better hand.  Again, make sure you raise no matter what flops as long as
the person in front of you doesn't bet a lot... unless of course, you hit a great
hand.
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 POT ODDS - DON'T FOLD IF THE POT MAKES SENSE

As a general poker strategy, you should consider pot odds at all times during
each hand.  For example, the odds of catching an inside straight on the river are
roughly 4 cards out of 46 unseen rounded to about one 1 out of 12.  Therefore
if the bet is $10 to you, there should be at least $120 or more in the pot to
justify doing so.  If you were on a flush draw, your basic odds are 9 out of 48
or roughly 1 out of 6.  Therefore there should be at least $60 or more in the pot
for you to pay $10 to see the river card.  Most of the time, flush draws make
sense though pot odds.  However, it is the one or two out cards at 24 to 1 or
even 47 to 1 draws that one must take much more caution before calling. 
Considering this it is often not wise to try to catch and inside straight flush,
unless of course there is a bad beat jackpot offered.   In Limit holdem, there are
often pots odds so it makes sense to try to catch more hands.  However, in No
Limit holdem, you could lose your whole stack trying to catch a flush on the
river.  Even though your odds are basically 1 of 6, it won't be very often you
will make 6 times your money on a large all in bet or call.
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ADVANCED POKER STRATEGY

 
One of the most important things you can do considering poker strategy in
Holdem and No Limit Holdem is gain respect.  You can do this by starting out
playing very tight or only the top 15 hands.  When you are in the pot until the
end, show your great starting cards whether you won or lost.  This will let the
other players know that you only play good cards.  By gaining respect of the
other poker players, you will open up an opportunity to steal some pots later
through some good bluffing.  As the game goes on, people will believe that
you must have good cards and will look for reasons to fold against you. 
Especially if you have a good sized stack and haven't lost too many pots you've
played.  Therefore, do whatever you can to gain respect as it will win you pots.
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POKER STRATEGY - BLUFFING IN POKER

 
There is no better feeling in a game of poker than stealing a pot with a good
bluff.  After all, it is being rewarded for being a good actor, a good player, or
even a good liar.  As you may already know, it can be very difficult to do. 
Therefore you must have the respect of your opponents before you can start
your bluffing game.  Think about it?  If someone sits across the table from you
and has just started playing or has been playing weak cards and bluffing, are
you going to fold when you have something halfway decent?  Probably not and
especially not if there are pot odds-enough money to warrant staying in on a
weaker hand or to catch a hand.  However, if the person across from you has
been playing tight, raising only when he had the hand, and playing only good
cards, you will always fear a bet or call from him or her.  This is why we
strongly recommend building respect first, and then trying some well timed
bluffs.  Over time, this strategy will prove to be the most profitable.
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THE MAIN REASONS TO BLUFF OR RAISE PLAYING

POKER

1.  To scare someone out of the poker hand

2.  To build the pot when you have a good poker hand

3.  To make others believe you have a better hand than you
do

4.  To see what your opponents might have

5.  To promote a loose style then play tight

6.  To get free cards.

WHEN IS A GOOD TIME TO BLUFF IN POKER?

1.  When everyone has just called pre flop, most have
checked after the flop, or checked after the turn card. this might
buy you the hand or at least confirm where they other players
are with their hands

2.  Pre flop, when you want everyone to believe you have a
good poker hand.  You raise, maybe get a caller or two, and
then bet after the flop.  Unless someone is on a draw or slow
playing you, they will usually fold. 

3.  When there are pot odds.  Sometimes you may be heads up
(just the two of you left) at the end with a tight player.  In this
case, if there are pot odds a bet or raise may get your weaker
playing opponent to fold.

4.  After the turn or river card, you can check and then raise
if someone else bets.  This will usually get everyone in between
you and one other player out.  If the player who bet had a weak
hand, missed a draw and bluffed, or was flat out bluffing, they
will usually fold.  However, if they raise you, you should fold.

5.  If you're in late position, a raise after the flop can get you
free cards. This works really well if you're on an open ended
straight draw or a flush draw.
 6.  If you're on the button or just before the button, you can
sometimes steal the blind money with a raise.  This is good to
do when you have a top 25 hand or better.  Make sure to follow
up with a bet after the flop

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NO LIMIT HOLDEM POKER STRATEGY

No Limit holdem poker is played with much of the same poker strategy as
Limit Holdem with a few suggested betting strategy differences, since often in
No Limit, you are selling an idea-the idea is that you have the best hand and
they will have to draw to beat you.

You must be better at reading the poker players, which was discussed in
(Sizing Up the Opposition).  The reason is at any one time, you may have to
risk all of your poker chips.  It is very important at all times that you are aware
of their goals and what type of playing style they fall into.

You must have a very good idea of what the other players starting cards
are.  This is a little bit easier to do in No Limit because in limit there is a
betting cap.   Using the percentages discussed below as your guide to betting
will also give you a base to understanding what the other player's two hole
cards might be.  Of course they are not as good as you as you because you
have read all of the information in this web site, read the books in the
(Suggested Readings) section, and are putting lots of hours into playing right? 
Well, quickly a person betting 10% of their chip stack or more probably has a
high pair or a top 20 hand minimum.  This means you've already rounded it
down to 1 out of 20.  A person betting 25% of their stack or more, probably
has AA, KK, or AK suited.  As you can see, it gets easier and easier to predict
what others have as you learn more poker strategy. And you will.....

You must know the proper amounts to bet based on several factors such as
your key-opponents' chip stack size (the one in with the most chips), their short
term and long term goals, the poker odds of your hand coming out on top, and
what others opponents will think you have based on your bet.  Unlike
scheduled max amounts in Limit Holdem, you must understand how much to
bet in order to not only find out what your opponents might have, but to
convey to them what you have.  Here are some basics to help you get started:

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NO LIMIT HOLDEM POKER PRE-FLOP BETTING

STRATEGY
  
AA Poker Hand Playing - When plaing the AA's in Texas Holdem Poker, We
recommend pre-flop betting at least 25% of what the largest chip holder has. 
Most often when you see AA lose a hand, it was because it was bet improperly
or the person was a short stack and got outdrawn.  You want some action with
this hand, but only from players with comparable hands. Not betting properly,
can result in a loss to a much weaker hand like  Q-J suited or even a weak pair
like 3-3.  The only time you may want to try to slow-play (not bet the proper
amount) is when you are really short stacked and must get a lot of action to
make up ground. 
KK, QQ, AK(suited) - We recommend pre-flop betting at least 20% of what
the largest chip holder has.  You want to leave a little room to sniff out the AA
if possible.  If someone goes All-in ahead of you, try to determine what they
have, a huge smirk or a person who won't look at you may define the AA.  If
you need the money, play, if not we know it is hard but consider folding. The
odds of a lower pair beating a higher pair is about 1 out of 4.5.
JJ, AK (off suite), AQ(suited), AJ (suited) - W e recommend pre-flop betting
at least 10% of what the largest chip holder has. Keep in mind that if someone
has bet this amount or more into you, you may want to just call.  If you raise,
they may go all-in against you. In hindsight, it will have cost you a lot of chips
to assume that you were beat. You will almost force yourself to call and get
lucky.
10-10, K-Q(suited), A-10 (suited) - We recommend a bet of no less than 5%
of the largest chip holder. A raise back into you may signify a better hand but
for a a reasonable amount, you can see the flop.
OTHER TOP 20 HANDS you may want to raise just a small amount to see
what is out there.  A small raise at this point could buy you the pot, or keep
you from getting eliminated by a slow play.  It is very, very difficult to slow
play the top 5 hands so when the person gets a second opportunity to raise,
they usually can't contain themselves so they raise very big.  If you know you
are beat, fold.
WEAK PAIRS AND SUITED CONNECTORS, we recommend calling only
if you in a later position on the table. After the flop, fold if there is nothing
developing.
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OTHER NO LIMIT BETTING INFORMATION

 
Poker Strategy - Keep track of your poker chip investment.   Don't let
yourself invest a lot in pots only to find you didn't catch your straight or flush. 
In many cases, if you do catch a straight or flush with weaker cards, it still
won't be the best hand.
Poker Strategy - Represent your poker hand.   If Q, Q, 5, comes up on the
flop and there is only one or two people in the hand with you, buy all means
you may want to represent that you have a Q or a higher pair with a reasonable
bet.  In fact, the times you bluff successfully, will most often be how properly
you represented your hand and how good you are at determining that no-one
else had the Q. 
Poker Strategy - Going All-In When to Bet All-In.  If you have a very good
hand or a monster hand, also known as (THE NUTS) , you want to make it as
profitable as possible.  At the same time, it is important that you are aware of
the ramifications of your actions.  If you have AA in the hole and the flop is (A
of spades, Poker Strategy - K of spades, 10 of hearts), it would be unwise
for you to slow down from your pre flop bet, in fact in this case it is best to go
all-in,  therefore making the other player go all-in on the flush or straight draw
may get them to fold before they catch.  However, if they have a flush and a
straight draw, they will most likely call.  They may have a lot of OUTS(ways
to catch and beat you) but you have all of the other cards that don't help them
aka THE ODDS in your favor.  In fact, we never recommend going all in
unless the odds are in your favor. 
Poker Strategy - Getting Someone to Bet into you.  If you have the nuts or a
very strong hand and know that you cannot be outdrawn, it is important that
you know how to entice other players to bet into you.  If you raised pre flop,
you will most likely need another player to catch something in order to build
the pot.  If you flop the nut boat or flush, you can check after the flop, if
someone behind you bet and or raises, call.  After the turn card comes up, see
if there is another flush or open ended straight draw, if there is, bet modestly as
anyone on a draw at that point will be more than likely convinced they will
catch the nuts if they get their card.  Hopefully the card comes up and you can
go all in and be certain that they will call you.  
Poker Strategy - A Good Fold.  They say a good fold is worth 10 good bets. 
Feel the people, sense the cards.  Don't get married to you AQ or even AK
suited, if you think your beat, you will be right about 90% of the time.
FOLD!!!
Poker Strategy - Advertising. If you are not getting good action on your big
hands, advertising may help build up the pot. Try to get caught bluffing a few
times for cheap. A great way to do this is pre-flop raise a modest amount if
everyone folds, show your bad cards. If you get called, raise or bet after the
flop trying to take the pot down there, if everyone folds, show your cards, if
you get called and get nothing, check and call if the bet is small enough, then
show your poor hand. (More about Advertising Below)
 

ADVERTISING

There will be some cases when you are playing no limit Texas holdem poker
where no complicated play is required. You may be sitting at a table of
unobservant amateurs, and you will often find that correct, solid
straightforward play will get you the chips. Today many players go from
playing online casino games such as online blackjack and online video poker
to Texas holdem, but most never bother to learn the game properly. However,
if some of your opponents are somewhat observant, you will have to rely on
some more sophisticated tactics to be successful. One important poker tactic
that may help in this regard is the advertising play.

What is Advertising In No Limit Texas Holdem Poker? In real life, you

advertise when you want everyone to know about something. Advertising in
poker is no exception. Poker advertising is when you make a play designed to
give your opponents an impression about you that is not true, so you can take
advantage of it later.

When Should I Advertise in No Limit Texas Holdem Poker? If you feel

you are not having good control over your opponents, it is a good time to
advertise. For example, if you have not been getting action on your good
hands, with everyone folding whenever you bet, it may be time to advertise.
Turn over a couple of bluffs to let players know you are capable of bluffing.
Be sure to make a comment to call the other players’ attention to your bluffing
repertoire. Conversely, if you like to bluff, you may want to show opponents a
few strong hands even when you are not called, just to let them know that
when you bet, you’ve got the goods.

What Do I Need to Know About Advertising? Don’t spend too much money
on advertising. If you get caught bluffing at an enormous pot, the amount you
lose may not be compensated for by the action you get later. You will be
surprised how small the pot you try to steal can be that will still give opponents
an indelible impression that you are a bluffer.
Don’t bother advertising to unobservant opponents. Against players who only
play their own hand and don’t consider the styles of their opponents,
advertising can be a waste of time, and in some cases, money. Just play these
opponents in a straightforward manner and you should be able to get their
chips.
Remember that if the people you were advertising to leave the table, you will
have to start all over again. Try to limit advertising plays to situations where
you expect you and the majority of your opponents will be around awhile.
Although sometimes it is unavoidable, the last thing you want is to get caught
bluffing and have that player get up and leave with your money before you can
use your new image against him.
 
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CONCLUSION

Now you are well on your way to understanding the game from a poker
strategy standpoint.  However, since there are literally millions of different
scenarios concerning hands and player types, it would be impossible to go over
every suggested strategy.  Even if we could, we wouldn't always be right. 
Sometimes you just have to be there to know that after the flop, your pocket
AA's are beat by someone who caught a set or two pair.  Therefore we
recommend you expand the knowledge you have gained here by reading the
books in the (Suggested Readings) section of this web site. Remember, our
goal is not to rewrite any existing books but to guide you with our knowledge
and help you expand that knowledge as much as you desire.

Please continue on to (Online Tips) as we recommend beginning players and

advanced players alike start playing online poker as soon as possible.  Playing
online is a little less overwhelming and confusing as live play plus playing at
your leisure in the privacy of your own home is awesome.  If you're just
starting out, FulltiltPoker.com has very low limit holdem tables and a $25 No
Limit holdem tables which limits your risk.   You can even play a single table
tournament with 10 players from all over the world for just $6.  It really is a
great experience and the opportunity to win big money is great as well.  For
$11 you can play for a $640 entry to a big Million Dollar Prize Pool
Tournament which pays about $200,000 for first, $100,000 for second, and
decreasing paybacks all the way down to 10% of the playing field.  If Chris
Moneymaker can bet $40 online, go the World Series of Poker in Vegas and
win 2.5 million, why not you?

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