Right so like when do i bet, how much do i bet, how much do i raise, when do i fold, how do i know if my hand is good enough to call
i hear ya i hear ya. So when ur starting out, this can be pretty confusing. u may feel like ur just throwing salami at a dart board and seeing what sticks. Well there are some general betting rules to stick by:
- Only play really good hands
So u might think this rule is obvious. You might think its hella boring. Let me remind u that these are TIPS to be profitable. Do whatever the hell you want. This is just boring profitable stuff. 8 4 of spades, sorry, it shouldnt be played. Jack 2 of hearts, sorry shouldnt be played. 34 suited, really shouldnt be played either. I know it sucks to hear, but if you stick to those pairs, and high suited connecting cards, ur gonna set urself up for losing less money than calling with a trash hand
- Raise preflop
This rule goes hand in hand with that last rule. I know its tempting to just call and see a flop with that 9 4 of diamonds. Well guess what, no calling. Wait until you get a hand that you can actually raise with. And then do just that. This only applies to opening the pot. Lets say you have jack 10. If noone has raised yet, then you need to raise it up. If someone else has already called, its totally fine to call in position.
- Position. Matters.
Position? This is a big one. Being the last person to make a decision is such a huge advantage. It’s like you can get information from your opponent before you have to do anything. So that feeds into this, since the dealer button is the last person to act, you want to be playing more hands the closer you are to this spot. Its the best position in the game. So maybe you do not want to be raising your ace 8 when youre the first person to act. But if it folds to u on the button, you absolutely want to be playing and raising this hand as you are at a positional advantage
- Know your odds.
This rule is particularly important. A wise man once said – know when to hold em, know when to fold em. If you hit bottom pair, it probably wont be smart to call every bet. You have to assume that if he is placing large bets than the probability is that you wont win and you may need to fold. Also, you have to know the probabilty of you winning the hand versus the odds that you are getting to make a call. Lets say you have 78 and the flop is J 10 2. Yes! a 9 gives you a straight. Now lets say your opponent bets the amount of the pot. Well, you are getting 2 to 1 odds to make the call and a 9 is not going to come at a 2 to 1 probability so you are going to need to fold.
- Raise 3x the size the bet
This. When you raise, the purpose isn’t just to put more money in the pot. It is also an opportunity to get the opponent to fold right then and there and scoop the pot. We call this opportunity “fold equity.” So maximize this fold equity, always raise 3x the bet.
- Balance is key
Lastly, poker imitates life. Balance is everything. Meaning the correct play should only be made ~some~ of the time. The reason behind this is people will start to realize your betting habits. So mix it up, have fun, and throw a 7 2 bluff in there every now and then