There are five common strategies every poker player should know if they want to be successful at community games like Five Card Draw and Texas Hold’em. Some are fairly self-explanatory and others require some practice, but all of them will help you gain a leg up on the competition.
Aggressive play: putting down an opening wager or raising someone else’s bet. This is ideally done with a strong hand. If you overuse, it can hurt you in the long run because your competition will label you as a loose player and use it against you.
Bluff: fooling others by betting with a bad hand. It’s a risky move but you’re trying to get others out of the hand by wagering big. With less players left in the hand, the odds of high cards left is lower.
Check-raise: another risky move that can pay off big when used correctly. This is when you check (pass to the next player) with a strong hand, hoping that someone else will start the wagering. When the betting comes back to you, you raise to try to confuse your competition. It’s like a bluff or a slow play.
Protection play: the complete opposite of a check-raise. This is done with a strong but vulnerable hand to scare off your competition. Let’s say you have a pair of 10s when a flush or straight is possible on the board. This is the best way to protect your hand.
Slow play: reverse bluffing. This is another way to protect your hand. With this poker strategy, you want to keep your competition in the hand by betting lower than you should. Begin with a small wager and players with vulnerable hands may stay in. Once they get pot committed, you can take them out. You are trying to be viewed as weak so they let their guard down.
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