When playing online poker, especially texas holdem, today’s game consists of a lot of students of the game.  Players are no longer weak in the majority – so they are paying attention to how you play.  A common peice of advice is to change up your bets often to keep your hand concealed.  With the hundreds of hands you will be playing in a session, I believe that it is really hard to keep track of every hand you play and ensure that you are changing up your bets enough to keep them concealed.

Instead of following this change structure in Online Poker, do the opposite and keep all of your bets the same.  If you are raising preflop, choose how much you want to raise (3x BB is my favourite) and continue to do that throughout your whole session, whether your hand is AA or 56 suited.  If you are reraising preflop, reraise again the same amount every time (2x the original raise is what I suggest) whether you are doing so with AK or 22.

Dont give your opponents the opportunity to find a glitch in your poker game.

When playing a full ring table or full table poker tournament of Omaha, you must keep in mind – just because you flop the nuts, doesnt mean that you are going to win the hand!  Generally speaking, when playing Texas Holdem, flopping the Nut Straight or Nut Flush is a great thing!   In Omaha (especially PLO), you need to be careful. 

Being that this is a drawing game, players are not going to let go of their draws to a “better nut” hand – and if there are more than 3 players that saw the flop, I can guarantee that you are getting callers. 

Rules in flopping the nuts:

1. DO NOT slowplay on the flop – BET THE POT!
2. If you get called, and the turn is a blank – BET THE POT AGAIN!
3. If the turn pairs the board, bet – but be VERY cautious of a caller and FOLD to a reraiser

We all love to look at our cards a see AA! Yes this is the best STARTING hand in Texas Hold Em poker, but this hand can be beaten (and yes people, even on the flop!).

I hear all the time “I had a bad beat, I had AA and some guy called my pre-flop raise with 10J and hit two pair on the turn”. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t bet your hand, I’m just suggesting that AA is only one pair and if you have been called you have to think of the possible hands that someone else could have to beat your AA. If you keep betting and are getting called and your hand does not improve, then maybe you should think about slowing down.

You can always win another pot if you still have money in front of you!

Have you ever heard the phrase “there is more than one way to win the pot”?  While I do believe in this, I also believe that you should have a reason for your action.

If you are going to play poker and do it to make money you should not call, bet or raise without a reason for doing so. I think that the game of Texas Hold’em Poker is getting to the point where there are many good poker players that know how to play the game well. If you are asking yourself why this post is called what it is, it is just a question to ask yourself the next time you are playing poker and you are thinking of raising, you should always have an answer.

Just happens too often!  Poker Players overplay AK thinking it is a “premium hand”.  Keep in mind its only AK high.  And even if you hit an Ace or a King (just one of the 2) it is only 1 pair!  When playing hands like AK in poker, just make sure you are playing the poker players along with the hands!