Texas Holdem Poker Strategy Online

The difference between theory and practice is that in theory, there is no difference between theory and practice, but in practice there inevitably is.

Fundamentally good texas holdem poker strategy online. What do people mean by that?

For me, it means having a solid defense. It's easy in a game like texas hold'em to get caught in the mentality of thinking that there is a great secret to the game.

Let me tell you, there is no such thing.

If you play fundamentally solid poker and do all other things well you will be a winner at poker.

At what stakes you might ask?

That is totally up to you, if you put in the work I can see no limits for your potential.

And let me make it clear that poker is not a get rich quick thing.

Put in the Work And Receive the Rewards

Some players play lots of hands, Phil Ivey is a classic example.

Does that mean you should?

Generally, no. Because Phil has many years of experience and he is a great hand reader (i.e. he knows what you have a lot of the time).

Then we have a poker player who is notorious for his tightness, and he really takes it to the extreme. His name is Dan Harrington.

There is a reason most people tell you to play tight when you are just beginning to learn the great card game known as texas holdem.

The main reason is to limit the mistakes you make and learn to play the small amounts of hands you play when you play tight.

Over time you can add more and more hands as you get better and better!

Just don't rush it and don't take it so far that you suddenly play all of your hands ;-]

Pros and Cons of Playing Tight

Let's go through some advantages and disadvantages of playing tight:

  1. Often taking down small-to-medium sized pots, resulting in a lower variance win rate.
  2. Easier decisions because you have a stronger hand on average.
  3. You can more easily recognize what people think of you.
  4. You tilt less because you have easier decisions (hopefully).
  5. You won't be paid off by good players as often.
  6. You will be winning steadily if you play and adapt well.

Pros and Cons of Playing Loose

You might often see loose players dominate poker games but from my personal experience they get destroyed by better tighter poker players.

This is especially true for lower stakes cash games online where the loose aggressive players make so many exploitable mistakes and on average their hand strength is way too weak versus good solid poker players.

What then might be the advantages and disadvantages of playing a loose aggressive style?

  1. You win more because you are involved more
  2. Uneducated opponents (and sometimes even tight holdem players) might think you are a fish.
  3. You will get paid off more when you hit or have a premium hand because of your loose and crazy image.
  4. Higher variance leads to wins and losses being larger (the majority of the time)
  5. Can easily become a losing player if you slip.

This is all assuming that you are in fact a winning loose aggressive player.

I am NOT advocating you play like this.

Let me be honest, playing loose and aggressive is nice for the ego and feels nice but it takes a tremendous amount of skill to pull it off in the long run.

So should you play tight or loose?

Generally if you have to ask that question I would recommend you play tight. I love playing tight poker even after three years of online experience!

After years of playing...

I have come to realize that the best style for me is playing tight and aggressive.

It just fits my personality and general style of play.

Aside from just all these strategies you read and hear about on a daily basis. There are a few more you should think about:

  • Discipline (Managing Emotions)
  • Money Management
  • Game Selection

Are just three of many things you will see me repeating over and over again on this site, because they are among the strongest part of my own game and a big reason to why I have been able to make my living playing online texas holdem for over three years!

Keep it simple!

You know when you've made the game too complex if you:

  1. Bluff excessively and always in the wrong spots
  2. Overestimate your own abilities
  3. Playing too many hands
  4. Trying to be overly tricky when no one is paying attention anyway
  5. Calling too much and being paranoid about people bluffing you out of pots all the time

Now if you are just wanting to have fun then by all means do what you want and remember to drink lots of your favorite beverage ;-)

Summary

  • Playing tight is recommended for pretty much everyone, especially beginning players.
  • I learned what style fits me the best and enables me to win year after year at online texas holdem
  • Loose and aggressive is fun but rarely profitable
  • Keep it simple
  • Have fun!

What Was The Rabbit Doing In The Hat?


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