Keep It Simple

When you first start playing Poker you will almost certainly be playing on the Low Stake Limit Poker tables. You do not have to play well to win at these tables you need only play better than other poor players. It is unusual to play good players at low stakes because they will have been lured by the opportunities of playing for higher stakes. Winning at the Big Boys' tables will be more complex and challenging but at Low stakes just Keep It Simple.

Firstly the other players will not be paying any attention to how you are playing, they will be too preoccupied by their own cards and trying to decide what to do to give you any consideration. They will make their plays in the same way each time regardless of whether or not you are in the pot. They will play as if you were a computer but hopefully a computer that is steadily taking their money off them. To beat them all you need do is to keep it simple and play a little better. Keep it tight or at least tighter than them so that on average you will have the better hands when you do play, do not bluff, remember bluffing does not work at low stakes because your opponents are not afraid to lose their bet at this level, calculate your outs and pot odds and when you have a great hand bet aggressively expecting to win .

As for deception, slowplaying is probably the most effective strategy. Beginners will often think they have the best hand with a pair so if you check when you have the Nuts at the flop offering someone the chance of a free card on the Turn or River you may just lure them into a series of bets to fatten the pot when they would otherwise have folded. Bluffing however is a waste of time most  fish at lower limits will be just too curious to not call your Bluff and see what you are holding when it costs so little to do so.

Concentrate on your starting hands, get used to calculating your pot odds and when you have a great hand bet aggressively. Forget psychological strategies they will be lost on your opponents who will not understand what is going on well enough to be manipulated by them and you may make things unnecessarily complicated for yourself.