What are the best quick tips?

[Moonshooter]

It seems the texas holdem bug is goin everywhere. Last year it was hard for me (in high school) to get a game going every couple of weeks. Now theres easily two or three games a week!

Ive read through quite a few posts about starting up... Some tips i got out were:
a) when playin with new people, one should concentrate on knowing the players first (i.e. floppin first hands)
b) tight-aggressive is the most efficient way to play
c) in order for ppl to give you action, they have to know that you bluff every now and then. So preferably giving a bluff early on is good.
d) watching out for tells (easier said than done)
e) to remember that the money in the pot is not yours anymore (for working out winnin ratios)


What else is there? The guys i play with are beginnners too so getting advantage of them shouldnt be too hard! There are a couple of guys who love goin all-in all the time... and they only need a queen high to do that. Last time i called i had AKo vs KQo. Q got flopped out i went. I try to vary my game also because i'll be playin with these guys often so theyll get to know me, but that sometimes means doing some stupid stuff. How can i vary my game without jeopardizing the result?

Well i'm off to play now... !

 

[F Paulsson]

"Varying your game" or "mixing it up" is often overrated, especially if you're playing with beginners. Find a good balance in your tightness/looseness and play the cards. Playing your opponents when your opponents don't know the game to begin with is tricky, not to mention dangerous.

Being tight/aggressive is pretty much universally known to be good poker, but not too many people know where to draw the line. It's easy to be tight preflop (there are tons of starting hands charts out there), but being selectively tight or aggressive postflop is more difficult to qualify.

If you're playing with beginners, focus on good starting hands and learn how to bet and raise for value.

Good luck!

/FP

 

[Kj Sexton]

Asking for Quick Tips in a game of patience? Lol.

"You're only as good as your competition"
If you're playing b-grade people, they usually won't wisen up to your style. Though you already said the best tip for that. Display a good bluff from time to time , especially if you win one. But if you lose , I'll still show that I was bluffing. But only if I see the person sweating it a little bit. (It's a dangerous tactic , but I usually do this once I've a considerable chip lead.)

"It's all about Timing"
Position , Position , Position. Raising out of position is a big flaw that I see often. At the same time you have to remember to raise enough to get all the bottom stragglers out.

"Good , Doesn't mean the Best"
I've heard hundreds of champions say this phrase in different ways. Knowing when to fold a good hand , is something developed over time but essential to tournament play. If someone's raising you and you think you have the best hand , take a step outta your hand and think about it. But once you do that , make sure you slow your overall play to compensate there after.

 

[Kenzie 96]

Tip No 1 at this site. Don't mess with Buck when he is ill. lol

 

[Rockbuster]

Moonshooter.......... I remember to use the 5 P's a hall of fame poker player told me years ago when I was learning the finer points of poker.Like KJ says PATIENCE can never be stressed enough. Like a good fisherman who waits hours or continues to cast a lure or fly for hours one must wait for their cards and time to set the hook and haul in the pot and pots.

Postion: Is very important to remember and making a big enough raise to chase out the medioacre hands who may take the pot away from you. The button is very important position and I protect big when I have it.

Practice: The more time you invest in Hold em the better you get If you learn from your mistakes and take in what other good players do. Try to find games where you play against players who consitently place on the final tables in the $$$ .

Playing: alot polishes your skills and you begin to react to situations. The more you play the better you get if you learn and remember the things you learn and pick up.

Pots: Pulling the pot to your stack or having the pot pushed to you by a dealer if you are playing in a poker room is the greatest reward for your time and skills you use.

One more words of wisdom: All poker players run good and bad. Remember to minimize your losses and maximize your wins.

By the way are you from Australia? If so the 2005 World Champion is from Down Under what a boost to the Internation community of poker players. Good luck Moonshooter...................Rock

 

[Moonshooter]

Thanks for the tips! I definitely have to work in my patience... gotta remember that. About the good hand/ best hand, man... that is great advice! If only i had had it prior to the game!

I had A2o and i raised pre-flop, only one player calls (table of 6). the flop comes Ace and well two other irrelevant cards, the guys goes all in. He was in a medium-small stack and i was cheap leader by far... i fell in love with my aces and called his all-in, that was the start of the debacle. Obviously he had aces too, and just won with a higher kicker. The guy ended up winning the game...

What do you guys mean by protecting the button? I really have no idea...
And when does 'raising out of position' occur... My guess is when you are playing first to act and don't know what the other players have, therefore by betting you are making yourself vulnerable. Oh and when it comes heads-up... what are the hands that one should go all-in with? (For the record: The deciding hand for the heads-up was JJ vs 99, the pair of jacks held... not that i was involved though! Were they good enough?)
Thanks for the advice again

P.s. Yeh i'm from australia, the sydney bits gives it away doesnt it? Well done to the Hachem guy! though it was funny that he nearly lost an extra 3 mil from a declaration that poker wasn't really a hobby for him

 

[Kj Sexton]

The button is when you are marked as the dealer , and the best position to be in. All bets go around the table and then you can decide what to do from there. It's easier to get more money in that position b/c it goes around letting all the players chip in the small bets before it comes to you. (if no one raised or went all in.) All in pre-flop is always dangerous no matter what two cards you have. There's better hands (suited paint aka Face Cards , pocket pairs over 9) but it's always a gamble....

Pocket pairs heads up are usually a good hand , and will win quite a bit heads up. But anything 9's and below are iffy. Remember if you have pocket pairs it increases the odds of someone else having pocket pairs.
I saw a little tidbit during one of the TV shown tourneys that adds to the point... If you have pocket kings the odds are 44:1 that someone on the table has Pocket Aces.... While not the best percentage , it's still enough to make you think. (Though pocket K's will usually win in an all-in battle , less they've got those Aces.)
If someone goes all in pre-flop against me , and they've not shown any signs of bluffs... I'll only call with a pair 10's-A's , or KJ suited & up'. K-10 or Q-J , even suited don't hold enough pull in the long run.

And just remember you will watch hands go by! Don't kick yourself in the arse just because you passed one up. Play smart , and don't let that put you on a Tilt.