Play fewer hands to earn more strategy - Poker

[paxmao]

I just read some playing advise regarding Texas- hold'em. The blog says that to stand a better chance to win you should bluff very little times and only go ahead with hands in which you have a good starting combination such as:

there are only five hands that are considered "premium."
AA
KK
QQ
AK (Suited)
JJ

If you follow this strategy, you would play very little hands, which may get a bit boring. However, the strategy can be extended to play more hands to the "top 15"

AA
KK
QQ
AK (suited)
JJ
1010
AQ (suited)
AJ (suited)
AK (off suit)
KQ (suited)
A10 (suited)
KJ (suited)
AQ (off suit)
99
JQ (suited)

Has anyone tried an strategy of limiting the hands? How didi it go?

[johhnyUA]

A little clarification: combo AK (Big Slick) is upper of QQ, because it beats QQ in more situation than otherwise.
And Super Big Slick (A-K suited) is even more better.

So the real table of how combos is strong will be like that:

AA
KK
AK (Suited)
AK
QQ
....

[fiulpro]

Hi
Ofcourse this is what people do when they are playing poker, this is an extremely normal strategy that they use, it does not only provide the user with confidence but at the same time is fruitful in many instances. But that does not straight away remove the chances that people might be having a better hand than you because the probability of that happening is also not low.
But I do think that this would be much better than :
Random playing and bluffing.
More or so This would work ,this is not something new the blog just summaries what the players have been using for ages. You can also look at poker hand rankings in which you can see where you stand at that particular point. I follow this at most instances instead of the combinations. Because what you use is a generalized set, you cannot just pick one and leave, one can also have better hand.

(Taken from google)

[Poker Player]

...
If you follow this strategy, you would play very little hands, which may get a bit boring. However, the strategy can be extended to play more hands to the "top 15"
...

You will only get bored if you play poker live. If you play online, what people do is to multi-table, so you often get playable hands, both because you are playing at various tables and also because the speed is much faster than in a land-based casino. If you play zoom or snap tables it's even faster.

But yeah, that is the basic strategy that everyone who starts out and wants to learn how to make money with poker (or at least not lose) should internalize: play few hands. And I would add: play them aggressively.

Then as you move up in levels things change a bit, and although you keep selecting hands, you open up the range a bit, but that's another story.

[wxa7115]

I just read some playing advise regarding Texas- hold'em. The blog says that to stand a better chance to win you should bluff very little times and only go ahead with hands in which you have a good starting combination such as:

there are only five hands that are considered "premium."
AA
KK
QQ
AK (Suited)
JJ

If you follow this strategy, you would play very little hands, which may get a bit boring. However, the strategy can be extended to play more hands to the "top 15"

AA
KK
QQ
AK (suited)
JJ
1010
AQ (suited)
AJ (suited)
AK (off suit)
KQ (suited)
A10 (suited)
KJ (suited)
AQ (off suit)
99
JQ (suited)

Has anyone tried an strategy of limiting the hands? How didi it go?

There are many strategies in poker, what you are describing is what it is called a tight player, a player which does not play many hands and bluffs rarely, the problem with adopting a single strategy is that you are not playing against machines but against humans, other players will begin to make a read about the kind of player you are and if they understand that you are a conservative player then they will try to steal your blinds all the time and if you happen to raise only when you have a good hand then they will fold.

Funnily enough your bluffs will be very successful as your opponents believe you have a really good hand when in fact you do not, so while playing tight is not a bad strategy you still need to be able to loose up if the circumstances at the table dictate it.

[Stedsm]

While I honestly don't know much about poker games, I asked a question about the same to Yahoo and he said that I should follow:

TwoPlusTwo Forum &
CardPlayer Magazines

in order to learn more about anything related to poker. Hope this may help.

[sunsilk]

It will still depend on the 5 cards on the table. But I'm having my decision already from the first three cards and see if there's a chance to get an upper hand with my card. And I also do bluff if I think that it's easy to bluff the other folks on the table.

Even if I don't have those cards that you have said to have a better chance of winning, I still bluff. It's more of a psychological effect to the opponents that you're scaring them and if you have noticed that it works based on your observation, you can easily overcome them by doing bluffs even if you don't have a good combination in your hand.

[Goodluckmate.com]

As someone who's played and written about poker, I must say I agree with this strategy. I also mentioned in another post here that I've actually tested this strategy myself when playing with friends.

When I used this strategy to try and stay in the game as long as possible by playing strong hands only, I've managed to win the pot almost 80% of the time. When I've played for fun and not bother with being disciplined, I've always lost my cash among the first players. Sure, it goes beyond this as poker demands that you know the rules, know how to read your opponents (if you can see them that is), and even knowing what cards are left in the deck. Still, not wasting playing cash on bad hands is a smart way to go. Just beware because if other players understand you're doing this, they'll always know when you have a strong hand. In that case, they will fold when you raise probably and if someone stays in the game, they probably will have a strong hand too.

We have a post on poker strategy on GoodLuckMate. You can read it here - https://goodluckmate.com/game/strategy/poker. It offers some basic tips you can consider next time you play. 

[Darker45]

I'd say this strategy must be effective. But I never played very serious poker so I've never been technical in playing. However, I almost always risk even the worst of my hole cards at least up to the flop. Sometimes, what seems to be the worst hole cards end up making the best hand. But, again, this must be a poor approach as far as serious poker games are concerned.

But I guess strictly sticking to this strategy is really boring and creates a predictable pattern. So a shift of strategy every now and then is both fun and effective.

[Wexnident]

I mean, it's literally the strategy of playing to what you have, it's kind of expected that you'd earn more. It's like choosing a choice that has a higher chance of winning compared to other choices (still has risks ofc). It's effective and boring, yes, but it also severely limits the plays you make. It also cements you as that type of player that goes aggressive with a good hand and falls back with a bad hand. There's kind of two types of luck in Poker, one for your hand, one for the table. You rely on the luck your hand gives you, and not the one on the table kind of thing. It's a "winning half of the battle" type of strategy imo.

But as a poker player, I'd really suggest experiencing the thrill of bluffing and danger with it. If you're in for the profit, then follow this, it's safer as OP says, but if you're in it for the game, then I suggest that you just play to your heart's desire.

[Bttzed03]

It's the small bluffs that makes players who play the conservative way still successful doesn't it? If another player had a pair of six for example and he saw that I raised early, he'll most likely fold even if I had 2-3 because he knows I usually have high cards on hand when I do that.

[semobo]

Don't bluff every time and don't reveal your strategy about when you are about to bluff because in poker you actually need to make your opponents Believe that you are having high cards than others. Bluff should be random and even people who won by doing it when they have no combination of cards just because their opponents gave up.

[sunsilk]

Don't bluff every time and don't reveal your strategy about when you are about to bluff because in poker you actually need to make your opponents Believe that you are having high cards than others. Bluff should be random and even people who won by doing it when they have no combination of cards just because their opponents gave up.

That's okay if you're bluffing and you have a certain strategy. Just don't do make yourself obvious when you're about to bluff. Don't make any sign even if you do it from time to time.

Just make sure that you're not too obvious when you do it. Because when you do, they will not be scared of going against you when you and a few are remaining in the table. You can do it from time to time or any random time, just combine it and for sure the other players on the table will be confused.

[bitzizzix]

Don't bluff every time and don't reveal your strategy about when you are about to bluff because in poker you actually need to make your opponents Believe that you are having high cards than others. Bluff should be random and even people who won by doing it when they have no combination of cards just because their opponents gave up.

If you rely solely on bluffing then it is easy for your opponents to read and you should also rely on good cards to bluff or stop until the time runs out as if your opponent is judging your doubts to raise your bet.
Bluffing in playing poker is indeed something that is easy to read but must be precise and supported by the right cards and timing.

[kryptqnick]

Bluffing is not for everyone, and if you do it a lot during a lengthy game with the same participants, they will notice and thus your bluffs will stop making sense. At the same time, your hand will often be pretty bad to play without bluffing, so it seems reasonable to just fold when this happens since the initial stake you're losing this way is pretty low. Nevertheless, if you always fold when you have a bad hand and play only with a good one, people will also notice, and you won't be able to profit from it. So I guess it must be a subtle combination of both.

[semobo]

Don't bluff every time and don't reveal your strategy about when you are about to bluff because in poker you actually need to make your opponents Believe that you are having high cards than others. Bluff should be random and even people who won by doing it when they have no combination of cards just because their opponents gave up.

That's okay if you're bluffing and you have a certain strategy. Just don't do make yourself obvious when you're about to bluff. Don't make any sign even if you do it from time to time.

Just make sure that you're not too obvious when you do it. Because when you do, they will not be scared of going against you when you and a few are remaining in the table. You can do it from time to time or any random time, just combine it and for sure the other players on the table will be confused.

Bluffing is a great strategy but as a poker player it is important to not over do it and no change of expression when doing it, if you watched the casino royale movie then you might noticed it but the opponent used it as advantage against bond in a particular bet.

[adzino]

I just read some playing advise regarding Texas- hold'em. The blog says that to stand a better chance to win you should bluff very little times and only go ahead with hands in which you have a good starting combination such as:
-snip-

Of course you shouldn't bluff every game lol. The less bluffs you do, the harder it would be for your opponents to understand/call/predict your bluffs. And sure, if you have a good hole cards such as pocket pairs, you should give the round a try. But don't forget, lower pocket pairs will likely cause you to lose.

-snip-
If you follow this strategy, you would play very little hands, which may get a bit boring. However, the strategy can be extended to play more hands to the "top 15"
-snip-

But then you become very predictable. If always play hands where you have good hole cards, your opponent will start to notice that and would be able to call all your plays. Don't forget about the small/big blinds that you have to place even if you would fold.

[Lorence.xD]

If you were to play this strategy then you better know who your opponents are because frequent early fold will mean that they will see that you are following a pattern and the moment that you play until the reveal of cards, they will know why you are playing in that pattern, I don't suggest this kind of thing in a high-stakes tournament, especially at a casual play at gambling houses because there pros that are hiding in the midst and they can easily detect this kind of thing. Practice your poker face and learn how to pressure your opponents is a good way to make a profit in poker.

[electronicash]

If you were to play this strategy then you better know who your opponents are because frequent early fold will mean that they will see that you are following a pattern and the moment that you play until the reveal of cards, they will know why you are playing in that pattern, I don't suggest this kind of thing in a high-stakes tournament, especially at a casual play at gambling houses because there pros that are hiding in the midst and they can easily detect this kind of thing. Practice your poker face and learn how to pressure your opponents is a good way to make a profit in poker.

the game is more of psychology it's better to play with humans on the table to learn the kind of players you are playing with. it's better to establish a pattern actually so you are going to be unpredictable whenever you wanted to bluff. it's satisfying to see you get to win big with just one bluff you made and only then they will realize you are not the kind of player that they thought so.

[Lorence.xD]

~

the game is more of psychology it's better to play with humans on the table to learn the kind of players you are playing with. it's better to establish a pattern actually so you are going to be unpredictable whenever you wanted to bluff. it's satisfying to see you get to win big with just one bluff you made and only then they will realize you are not the kind of player that they thought so.

What I am trying to say is that your pattern will become predictable and you can't simply bluff in a predicted pattern because the trained eye will notice even your bet and they know that you are up to something when you suddenly go off the pattern or try to follow the pattern. Yes it might work for awhile but once they get ahold of how you do it, they will know it.