Knowing The Poker Table

So you have decided what your Bankroll limit is going to be for the day you have got your chips and are ready to play at a poker table for real. Although this article is aimed primarily at online Texas Holdem  the same rules apply to Texas Hold‘em in a bricks and mortar cardroom. You look at the list of active poker tables on the lobby chart. Which one to chose? This will depend largely on the limit you have set yourself. if your limit is $50 you will be thinking about the 10c/20c tables and if it's $500 it will be $1/$2 tables.

Next chose whether to play pot limit or no limit Holdem Poker. It is important that you bear your limit in mind. Look down the list and pick a table and click on it to bring up the stats. Don't just click on a table and get started because you are eager to play.

Go through every poker table at about the limits you have decided on and check out the percentage of players who play to the flop. The tables which have the highest average pots and the highest percentage of players playing to see the Flop will generally be the most loose games which means less experienced players or  maniac players who just love to play a reckless and aggressive style of poker to scare the opposition.
Another good way of finding easier opposition is to look at the bankroll each player at the table has. New players will set themselves a low limit of $5 to $10 . These players are rich pickings to better players but beware these tables often have a regular player determined to relieve you and the others of their low limit bankrolls and are quite prepared to lose all in the attempt.
 Do not however be intimidated by these players because anyone can win at Texas Hold'em and if they were great players they would have progressed, just don't assume that all the poker players at low limits are new players. Do not be intimidated either by the size of a player's bankroll. Some players will keep a large bankroll in front of them even if their limit is only half of it as a tactic to impress and intimidate the other players. Try to set yourself a target of winning half of it before you quit. If you are not familiar to the control buttons go to the play money tables until you have got used to them.

So you get your first hand, focus on the Board and the bets pre-flop of each player in turn. If they raise before the flop they probably have a high pair AK or QJ some players with two of the same suit will raise pre-flop.

Carefully watching the Board and how the other players bet will give you a lot of information as to when you should bet. Many a pot has been stolen by just a well timed bet. Be on guard for other players who may be using this tactic a lot because it means they are bluffing much of the time and you could be able to draw them in and call their bluff. When you get a good hand re-raise them. In the next round of betting he will probably just check so raise him again. On the other hand if the player doesn't over bet they are probably not bluffing but are playing the same trick on you and drawing you in. Do not get a name for yourself as a bluffer or you will get called every time.

Aggressive play is one of the best strategies as it intimidates players but make sure you only play with good hands or your aggressive play will soon be seen simply as reckless and an opportunity not as a threat.