Poker Betting Strategies
By: JAMES RICE

When you throw out Texas Hold em Poker betting strategies from the poker table, Hold em is nothing more than a game of chance. But, on the other hand, when the chips are on the table poker turns out to be a game of sheer tactics and emotional toughness.

The game of Hold'em demands two mandated bets (per round) called the big blind and small blind. When the action comes around to you in a clockwise continuation, you have one of four options:

1. Bet - When you are "under the gun," you place an amount of chips equal to the big blind. This goes into the pot. 2. Call - Calling is matching the the amount of the preceding bet. 3. Raise - To call a raise requires you first match what another player bet. Subsequently you can "raise" to whatever amount you choose. 4. Fold - To fold is simply dropping out of a hand. Nothing to win. Nothing to lose. prior bet.

When you sit down at the poker table, you will quickly see there are two extreme bettors.

1. Manic - The Maniac pushes the action, whether he has a hand or not. At first, the Maniac is quick to double or triple his chip stack. For all that, the need for action often leaves the Maniac knocked out of tournaments or replenishing his account.

2. Passive - The Rock often checks or calls and never raises unless he possesses a monster hand. Due to his lack of aggressiveness, the Rock constantly loses chips and is eventually out of the tournament and having to reload his account.

Texas Hold em betting is not just throwing chips into the pot, or paying to see the flop. Actually, there is a strategy, which should be involved. David Sklansky said there are five reasons why you place a bet:

1. You want to get more money in the pot. 2. You want to drive other players out. 3. You want to bluff (or semi-bluff). 4. You want to get a free card. 5. You want more information on the other player (s).

Here are five Hold em betting strategies you can use to improve your Texas holdem poker play.

1. Feeler Bet: With the feeler bet, you are probing for information. The feeler bet will always let you know where you stand in the hand. If you never bet, you will never know what your opponents are holding. It is for this purpose you use it to get a "feel" for the strength of your hand also the strength of your opponents hand.

2. Stealing the Blinds: A strategy worth developing in poker is taking down uncontested blinds and pots! Stealing the blinds over time will win you more money than you will lose. There some things you should contemplate before you start stealing the blinds is the kind of players at the table, your own table image, sensing weakness at the table and the size of the bet.

3. Check Raise: This is also known as trapping. The check raise works by acting weak in hopes of hiding your strength. With any luck, this will encourage a bluff or at least a misinformed bet from your opponent to get him to place his chips to the pot.

4. Represent the Flop: Representing the Flop is showing strength before the flop, most often with over cards. Oftentimes you will miss the flop, but continue to show strength through betting, as if you have a real hand. The recipe to successfully pulling off the continuation bet is to narrow your opponents down to one or two at the most. Here is the rule of representing the flop: If you make a pre-flop raise, you must bet after the flop. Period. This includes when you do not hit your cards. Do not be one of those half wits who raises with Big Slick before the flop...only to check after the flop when it comes out trash. Players who do that are faint of heart.

5. Squeezing: You squeeze when you think someone is on a flush or straight draw but does not have it. Raising in this situation may keep the player from staying in the hand, not wanting to risk his stack on the odds of missing his straight or flush. Be careful, unless you already have a strong hand, this type of texas holdem betting strategy could not go as planned.

Try putting into practice these five Texas Holdem Poker betting strategies and watch your poker game perk up.

James Rice, webmaster of Learn to Win Holdem is an enthusiastic writer and a knowledgeable Texas hold em player providing tips and advice for those interested in playing Texas Hold em. His numerous articles found on the web, provide useful Texas Hold em information and insight. For more information on the topic you can visit Texas Hold em Betting Strategies. To receive articles just like this one sign up for his weekly newsletter.

Understanding Poker Odds

So, you have heard of poker odds, you have even seen them, but do you really understand what they mean? When you see 2:1, 7:1, 9:1, what do these numbers mean to you and how can they help you in the game of poker. Well, these are your odds. These numbers tell you how much you stand to win or lose essentially. In other words, if you see the numbers 2:1 in any poker game, this tells you a few things. First, it tells you that if you win, the house will owe you two, if you lose, you owe . . .

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