Various No Limit Poker Concepts and Strategies

On this page you will read about several poker concepts and strategies. A lot of the principles of general poker apply to No Limit Texas Holdem as well, so it is important for you to be acquainted with them.

Reading Your Opponents

Poker tells are changes in a player's behavior that give clues about their hand and what they plan to do with it. Some tells are universal—for example, protecting hole cards by placing your hand over them is a typical sign you have a good hand. But other tells are unique to each person. The better you know them, the more tells you have on them. Unfortunately, tells are largely missing in online poker.

Bankroll

A good-sized bankroll is necessary for long-term, regular play. This is especially true in No Limit Holdem. Get a session bankroll of at least 1,000 the big blind. For a $1 big blind, that's $1,000. Sure, you can get lucky (as we do sometimes), buy in with $150 and walk away with $2,000 after handing a bad beat to a large-stacked bully. But that won't happen all the time. Play in your comfort zone; that is, with enough money to play your type of game. If you like to raise often, naturally you need more chips.

Showing and Seeing Cards

There are players who simply must see others' cards. And there are players who just want to show you *their* cards. Both of these show lack of discipline and forethought.

Generally, it is not worth it to bet or call just to see someone to the showdown and proof they are bluffing. The only time you can do this is if you have a really big stack; in that case, it would be foolish for them to bluff you anyway. If you hold nothing and you just want to call to keep a player honest, it's not worth it.

Conversely, there are players who will show off their cards even when it's not needed. In online poker, you can show your cards even without a showdown. Some do this just to "prove" they got you. Don't do this often. It would make you easier to read. Keep them guessing.

Table Selection

Not all tables are good to play at. Here is what we want:

- A table that has a big pot - A table with no one with a much bigger stack than yours (bully) - A table full of loose and passive players - A table where we can have position over the money (big stack) - A table where we can have position over a loose player

Don't play in a tight table unless you're crazy about bluffing. Don't play in a full online table if you are impatient. And don't play in a table with a very high big blind if you can't afford it.