Newcomers to online poker slot Thailand often make the mistake of thinking that winning is simply a matter of building the strongest hand possible to crush the other players. Players who never progress beyond this stage will push the button until their hand looks good, bet big, and still often lose. Why is this? Because they don’t know how to play a strong hand in an online poker gambling game. The fact is, when you play online poker, strong hands don’t win by themselves.
Hand Rank
It goes without saying that the higher the rank, the stronger the hand. You’re almost always ahead with monster hands (if you flop a flush, for example), a set, three of a kind, and two pairs, while you can usually count on the strongest hands with top pair, with a draw or without. Middle pair can be the strongest card if you’re facing three opponents or less. Low pairs are not included in this conversation!
Number of Opponents
Hand strength is not absolute and varies according to the number of opponents you face.The fewer opponents, the greater the relative strength of your hand, and vice versa. Top pair, for example, isn’t very strong at a full 6-max table, yet it’s far from weak at the preliminary stage.
Pre-Flop Indicators
What happens pre-flop can give you an idea of what your opponents might have and what their poker strategy is. For example, the average tight player raising pre-flop from early position might signal “big aces” or “big pocket pairs”. Of course, these indicators mean different things to different types of players, so it’s important to pay attention to what your opponents represent.
Flop Texture
The strength of a poker hand also depends on what cards are flopped. If you’re holding a top pair, your hand will be less susceptible to dry flops than a draw flop with only one suit.
Choose Your Path
After considering all of this information, you should be able to tell whether or not you have the best cards – which, in turn, will inform your betting lines. Always remember that you’re putting money into the pot for only two reasons: You’re betting for value or protection, or you’re betting to make your opponent fold. If you believe that your hand is the best, your poker strategy should be to play for value.
Build the pot as much as possible when you bet and raise to the limit. If you have a strong hand but you’re not completely sure that it’s the best, you should bet and raise with the goal of protecting your hand. If anyone raises behind you, call in the hopes that it’s just a bluff. On the flop of a draw, raise as long as it can protect your hand or if your opponent is likely to fold.
How to Play Strong Hands Post-Flop in Online Poker?
How to Play Certain Strong Hands Post-Flop
- Once you’ve decided which line to follow, take a closer look at the type of hand you’re holding and apply the do’s and don’ts.
Straight or Better
- Do: Play very aggressively with this monster hand.
- Don’t: Play too aggressively on a single flop (your hand may be vulnerable to bigger monsters, for example a full house that can destroy your straight).
Two Pairs and Three Types
- Do: Protect your hand if you are in a big pot and play slowly if the pot is small or the flop is dry.
- Don’t: Let your opponents see further avenues without paying.
Top Pair and Overpair
- Do: Bet and raise to protect your hand, remember that your opponent has a lot to lose against you. Play aggressively on boards that are draw heavy.
- Don’t: Play aggressively if you feel behind or if your kicks are weak.
Middle Pair
- Do: Protect your hand if you are in a pot with less than three opponents.
- Don’t: Play aggressively on a heavy flop.
Manage Your Money, Watch Your Stack
When it comes to poker, strong hands need financial backing. In cash situs togel games, the kind of aggressive play that strong hands deserve demands a decent bankroll. Professional poker players fund their bankroll from their winnings, but if you’re like most online poker players, your bankroll is fed by your personal money. If you’re playing online poker for real money.
It’s crucial that you set a budget for cash games and stop when you reach your limit. A more budget-friendly way to learn how to play poker at a higher level is to enter online poker tournaments. Your spending is limited to your buy-in and you are eligible to win exciting prizes.
In poker tournaments, stack size is what matters, so you should play your strong hands differently depending on the phase of the tournament you’re in. Protecting your stack is more important than chasing the pot early on. Later on, you’ll either protect your hands aggressively against big stacks or pile the pressure on short stacks, depending on which category you fall into.
