Tips on Poker Strategy

The best place to kick off a discussion of poker strategy for beginners would be to explain the terms loose and aggressive in poker.

A player will be classified loose or aggressive or anywhere in between according to the style of play he adopts. Loose refers to the number of hand you play, if you see most flops, you are considered a loose player. Aggressive means that you bet often and also raise during a hand. Which ever way you play, it will decide your strategy.

Most players prefer a loose-aggressive style which has been popularized by professional poker players. For begginers the right style would be tight-aggressive for a good strategy. Using tight-aggressive play as a strategy means that you will choose your play carefully. Fold on bad hands and come out betting and raising on good ones. This strategy will ensure that you enter pots with reasonably deep stacks as well as ensuring that you have a stronger position against your opponents.

It is important to remember is to protect your hand when you hit something. Because you very seldom will hit the ultimate hand or "absolute nuts", other players might improve their hand and beat you in a later round. At the very least, you can make your opponents pay to see the next card if you cannot altogether prevent them from hitting their winning cards. To do this, you have to place a sizeable bet, enough to give your opponent pause. If you bet too little, your opponent may decide that it is worth the price to see the next card. Should the player then hit a flush, the pot is lost to you. By placing the correct bet, you increase the chance that your opponent will fold or at least pay substantially to see the next card.

For newcomers to poker the tight-aggressive strategy is invaluable and should be mastered adequately before venturing into deeper waters. Even some more advanced players use a tight-agrressive style of play and if they prefer it there must be something to it. So until you have learnt to bet and raise along with the best of them, stick to a tried and tested method. Once you have mastered that you can indulge in more artful strategies.