One of the most strategic of the various forms of gambling is poker. This card game is a test of skill, wits and the ability to think further ahead than your opponents. The unpredictable nature is what makes it the game of choice for so many.
That is something that holds true however and wherever you choose to play the game. You could be hosting a card game evening with friends or logging into an online poker site, but the abilities you will need to win will be the same either way.
What makes a game such as poker stand out from other gambling options like craps is precisely those elements of skill and tactical know-how. In craps you win if you get the highest numbers when rolling the dice, but in poker it is not always the strongest hand of cards that wins the pot.
A good player can beat a rival who has a stronger hand through simply playing the game better. That is about knowing the various scenarios that can play out and reading the behaviour of opponents.
When it comes to poker there are certain key strategic moves – folding, raising or calling. This article will explore when to use each for maximum impact.
Folding
Folding is the most conservative of poker tactics. That does not make it bad though; sometimes it is the only sensible approach.
It boils down to a recognition that your hand of cards is too weak to bet on and thus opting out of further participation in the game. A key thing to remember when it comes to folding is that you should not wait too long to reach the decision.
That is because any money you have bet in the game up until the point of your fold is then lost to you. Repeatedly folding after betting several times will quickly rob you of the bankroll needed to stay in the action.
If you watch the really popular players in action for a while, you will see that they are decisive about whether to play a hand or not, for that reason. The right move can vary depending on your reading of your opponents though.
Calling or raising with a weak hand is a form of bluff and that should always be deployed sparingly. If you bluff all the time, your opponents will soon figure out your approach, so it should be used occasionally to devastating effect.
Let other players view you as a cautious, conservative player and then hit them hard. That means folding on most poor hands followed by a surprise bluff – like Johnny Chan in the famous World Series of Poker Main Event of 1988.
Calling
The next major approach to a poker game is calling. That means betting the exact same amount as your opponent in response to them.
Calling the bet of your opponent can be a good strategy if you feel that you are in too deep to fold, but are not quite confident enough in the strength of your hand to raise. Say you are in the position of being able to afford to either call or raise, but raising could potentially wipe out your bankroll, calling is a good substitute.
It will keep you in the game and force your opponent to make the next move, but lowers the risk slightly. To some degree, poker is about being able to deal with uncertainty, but that does not mean always going for broke.
If you think your opponent has a strong hand of cards but you are not sure it is strong enough to beat yours, consider calling his or her bet. Alternatively, it can be a good way to conceal a brilliant hand.
Calling will keep you in the play but deceive your opponents into believing that your hand is weaker than it actually is. That will push them to bet more and can boost the size of the pot you eventually win
Raising
Raising is the most high risk strategy in poker. It is where you up the ante on your opponent by betting more money.
There are two game scenarios where this will be the right thing to do. The first is where you are very confident that you have the best hand of cards in the game.
If you are sure that your hand is unbeatable, an aggressive approach will challenge your rivals. The second is when you are trying to bluff your way to success with a poor hand.
A good bluff requires you to play it to the absolute limit, as it is about psyching out your opponents.
The most important thing about each of these approaches is to always shake them up. Never get into a tactical rut in poker, because that makes it easy for other players to read you.
