The following principle is key to becoming a successful poker player. Without the proper money management skills, the best players in the world would go broke. For all you skim-readers, here are the basic rules of bankroll management for Texas Hold’em.

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Bankroll management is where you play at certain limits to avoid losing all of your bankroll due to bad runs of cards, which any poker player must expect from time to time. This is called ‘playing within your bankroll’. Subsequently, if you play at higher limits where there is too great a chance of losing all of your poker money, you are ‘playing out of your bankroll’.

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The reason why you should choose your limits carefully in poker is due to the variance. Variance is a term used to describe the ‘ups and downs’ of poker where you fluctuate from having bad runs of cards to good runs of cards, resulting in varying profits and losses. If you play poker for long enough there are going to be periods of time where you will consistently lose money, not because you are playing badly, but because the cards are not falling your way. This means that if you do not have enough money in your bankroll to absorb these downswings, it is likely that you will lose it all.

Therefore every time we sit down at the poker table, whether it be live or online, we want to give ourselves the best opportunity to win a maximum amount of profit whilst keeping the risk of going broke minimal. This is where the rules of bankroll management come into play.

So what limits should I be playing at?

• Cash Games
  If you are playing Pot Limit or No Limit poker, the safe recommended size of your bankroll is 20 times the full buy-in of where you want to play. This means that if you want to have the best chance of making money at a $1/$2 game where the maximum buy-in is $200, you should have a bankroll of at least $4000. Another way of applying bankroll management is by only putting a maximum 5% of your entire bankroll on the table at any one time, which works out the same as having 20 times the buy-in for the game.
• If you like to play limit Holdem however, you should have 300 Big Bets as a minimum for the limit you wish to play at. Therefore to play $1/$2 limit Holdem, you should have a bankroll of $600 at least.

• Tournament Games
  It is recommended that you have a bankroll that will give you 40 buy-ins to the level of tournaments that you wish to play at. Therefore if you want to play at the $10+$1 Sit n Go’s you should have a bankroll of $440.

So What limits should you play according to your bankroll:

Style of play and variance.

The style of your play can also determine what limits you should play in relation to the size of your bankroll. If you are a tight player then you should expect to receive a slightly reduced variance to that of a loose player, therefore you may be able to afford to reduce the amount of buy-ins in your bankroll.

This is because tight players will often only enter pots with strong hands and regularly go to showdowns with winnings hands, thus reducing the chances of seeing big losses. Consequently, if you are a loose player and play a large number of pots, you may want to increase the size of your bankroll to absorb the extra variance you may receive.

Absorbing losses and moving on.

A second reason for why you should exercise good bankroll management skills is to help you deal with the psychological impact that losses can have on your game. If you have a bankroll of 10 full buy-ins for a cash game at the $200 NL game and lose 4 buy ins, your bankroll would deplete from $2000 to $1200. Because of your small initial bankroll this looks like a big loss and may cause you to tighten up your game and play ‘scared poker’, because you are afraid to lose more money.

Now if you had 20 full buy-ins for the $1/$2 game, your bankroll would change from $4000 to $3200. Immediately you can see that visually this does not look as bad as the loss in the first instance. Therefore you will feel more comfortable that you have the ability to win back the lost money without feeling the need to change your game.

Adjusting your game to the position

Taking something that you really shouldn’t have is frowned upon in the real world. Most in a civilized society call this stealing. Using the principles that work in poker, such as deception and guile, landed the Adelphia boys in a place where striped pajamas are high fashion and strip searches are considered recreational activity. Luckily though, using your position at the poker table to steal a pot will not net you such dire consequences.

There are times when your position at the table will allow you take a pot you would not have otherwise won. Statistically speaking, it is the best hand that wins most of the time, regardless of position. So what we actually mean by “taking a pot you would not have otherwise won”, we are referring to the amount of money. Using your positional advantage at the table you can squeeze out some extra bets that may have otherwise stayed far out of your reach, in your opponents wallet.

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The last position is the place you want to be. When your turn comes in the rotation for this spot, take advantage of the opportunity. Most players live in fear of somebody raising behind them. When you are in the last position you are the guy they are looking at and praying you won’t raise. This position gives you the freedom to play more loose and aggressive. The person in last position can dictate the behavior of the table with their play.

Let’s say you have a strong hand and are in the last position. Playing a little possum won’t hurt the pot size. The folks in front of you, who are calculating their pot odds based on your raises, may fold if you look overly aggressive. You can bluff the pot odds by playing it tight and simply calling their bets for a couple rounds, thus artificially inflating the pot. They will feel safe if you pretend to be weak, and stay in the game.

Many poker players are inherently timid, and fold in the face of a challenge. If you have a weak hand, raising from the last place may scare the other folks away, even those who could have beaten you.

The last place is the power position, when you have it, enjoy it. The next round somebody will be doing to you what you hope to be doing to them.

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How to play poker pocket pairs at texas hold’em

Is that a pair in your pocket? Or are you just pleased to see us? From deuces to pocket rockets, our former poker expert, the late Andrew NS Glazer gave us the best playing strategies for every pair in Texas hold’em.

Pocket pairs are potentially some of the most profitable hands in hold’em, but because they are so often misplayed – usually overplayed, sometimes underplayed – they don’t add as much to your day’s win or your tournament chances as they should.

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The ‘coin flip’ – a rule or a myth

Whenever you watch televised poker and you see someone with a pocket pair going up against someone with two overcards (such as Q-Q vs A-K or 7-7 vs 8-9), you almost always hear the announcers say one of two things: either the hand is a ‘coin flip,’ (meaning that it’s a 50/50 chance) or that ‘it’s roughly 11/10 in favour of the pair.’ Listen for it: it’s practically universal.

The only problem is, it’s practically universally wrong. Different pocket pairs are different sized favourites against different overcards. In fact, they aren’t always favourites. J-10 suited is a favourite over every single pair from twos through sevens, if the pair doesn’t contain one of the suited cards, and usually even if it does. You need to reach pocket eights before the pair becomes the favourite, and that’s by a tiny amount.

On the other hand, if you take your pocket sevens – or even your pocket deuces, for that matter – up against A-K, you’re the favourite. Can you guess why the J-10 hands do so well?

To hit one (or more) of the overcards

For example, Q-Q vs A-K, and the final board is 5-K-7-J-2.

To make a straight

(A single card from a pair can also help make a straight, but two connected cards stand a much …
better chance). For example, 7-7 vs J-10, with the final board coming 8-9-Q-7-2 (notice that even making a set of 7s on the turn didn’t save the pocket pair).

To make a flush (very similar to the straight analysis)

For example, 8h-8h vs Qs-Js with the final board coming 10s-9s-Ah-3h-8s. Notice the same river card ….that gave the eights their ‘lucky’ set also created the flush: remember such

possibilities when calculating ‘outs’ (winning cards).

To get counterfeited – one of the biggest problems with tiddly pairs

For example, 3-3 vs A-9, and the final board comes 5-5-6-10-6. The owner of the 3s must play the board, while the opponent can use his Ace. Any time you own a small pair and a larger

pair flops, be careful.

Because J-10 makes more high straights than any other hand, if you owned a pair of fours, you would actually much prefer to be up against the powerful looking A-K, which makes far

fewer straights, than against J-10.
If you own Q-Q and are up against A-K, you are in the single most favourable ‘pair vs overcards’ situation. Express it however you like: 4:3, or 1.33-1, or a 57.2%; no matter which way you describe it, you are quite far away from coin flip territory.

You own this significant edge because your two queens reduce the A-K’s chances of winning with a straight. A-K’s owner will need a queen to hit the board to make a straight, and you have two of them tucked safely away. Don’t get too excited by this information, though. Many players, upon learning that J-10 makes more straights than any other hand start to rank J-10 far too highly.

Smaller pairs

I split pocket pairs into several distinct value groups. Let’s start at the bottom and work our way up:

Small pairs (2-2, 3-3, 4-4, and 5-5)

Although these hands stand a reasonable chance of winning a heads-up confrontation against overcards, they have several major vulnerabilities. In a game where three or more players see the flop, they usually need to make a set to win. Small pairs are also the most vulnerable to getting counterfeited. The good news is that their unimproved post-flop weakness is so obvious that even bad players are usually willing to throw them away, something that can’t always be said of?

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Middle pairs (6-6, 7-7, and 8-8)

For the most part, these hands play like small pairs. The biggest difference is that they don’t get counterfeited nearly as often, and occasionally in heads-up confrontations, you will find yourself facing only one overcard instead of two. Otherwise, these hands can be more troublesome than small pairs, especially if the board comes low – 10-4-2, for instance. A player holding pocket 8s will often think ‘only one overcard hit, I might be leading,’ and bet aggressively, not realising he is up against someone who has that one overcard or someone who is tentatively calling with a hand like 9-9. Normally, unless you flop a set or a good straight draw (that is, the board is 4-5-6 and you have 7-7), you should get out.

Danger pairs (9-9, 10-10)

Much like middle pairs, but occasionally will hold up against an opponent who has hit part of his hand (like someone playing A-8 suited who hits the 8). Should be played like middle pairs, but you will very rarely get counterfeited. I call them danger pairs because players tend to push them too hard.

Royal couples

J-J:

The single trickiest hand in no-limit. It wins just enough without improvement to give its owner confidence, yet is extremely vulnerable in multi-way situations. If you are facing all three overcards, you are a significant underdog. Just how big varies: you’re far better off being up against A-K and K-Q (winning about 43%) than against A-K and Q-10 (winning about 37%), because of the lack of duplication. One trick to avoid getting into trouble with J-J is to pretend it’s 8-8. You’ll only play it hard in favourable post-flop situations, and won’t try to beat the world with it, pre-flop.

Q-Q:

The third best starting hand in hold’em should be played aggressively. The problem in low-limit games is you won’t just be up against one player holding A-K: You’ll be up against K-10 here and A-9 there, and that’s much less favourable than facing a solitary A-K. In no-limit, what sort of hands will you face heavy action with? Bluffs, the occasional person overplaying a smaller pair or A-Q, A-K. . . and K-K or A-A, where you’re a 9/2 underdog. It’s often best to make a significant but not full-commitment raise and wait to see if the flop contains an Ace or King. If you’re in a tournament, and someone raises up front, someone else moves in on him, and someone else calls the all-in bet, unless at least one of the all-in players was short stacked, your Queens belong in the muck. Ditto for any situation where someone seems unafraid of multiple opponents.

K-K:

‘Cowboys’ are a terrific hand and worth playing quite strongly. They do belong a full level below Aces, though, because even some rookie playing A-3 has a 30% chance to beat you with his overcard. In a low-limit, multi-way pot, if an Ace flops, your Kings are essentially doomed; only in high-limit games where players will throw hands like A-9 away do you have a chance, and even then, it’s probably worth not bothering until you’re an advanced player. Try to avoid going on tilt when the Kings get beaten, because players hold singleton Aces a lot and 30% chances aren’t insignificant.

Aces in the hole

A-A:

‘Pocket rockets’ are much better than Kings because you can’t be facing an overcard. One key in playing Aces correctly lies in knowing when to get away from them. In low-limit, multi-way games, you should figure that two red aces are toast when the flop comes 9s-10s-Js; in other words, beware extremely coordinated flops. Don’t get stubborn. A lot of no-limit players like to limp with Aces, hoping that someone else will raise, and then they can re-raise. This is dangerous. If five people wind up limping, you have no idea where you are after the flop. You raise a lot with other hands and get re-raised; why not raise with this one, and hope you get re-raised here? If everyone folds and you just win the blinds, that’s unfortunate, but not as unfortunate as losing your whole stack because you let someone in too cheaply and only bet heavily once his hand became well defined.

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Playing Ace King or Do not overrate Big Slick

Ace King, also called Big Slick or Anna Kournikova, is one of the most overrated hands in the history of no limit holdem. It’s exactly as the pityful sidename Anna Kournikova refers too: She looks good but doesn’t win alot. Playing Ace King is very hard. How in hells name do you play this hand? How in gods name can you make sure you always win Ace King?

AK ?! When you get it in a cash game or tournament of whatever it is you are playing, you get a little bit of goosebumps. Serious research has pointed out that most people go broke or die at a tournament because ofoverplaying Ace King, especially Ace King suited.

Before we go further with the analysis of AK, please hold in mind that not only with Ace King, but with all suited cards, against unsuited cards the increased winning percentage that comes with suited cards is only a percent!

Ok, so if most people loose more than they win with Ace King, and loose at especially crucial times, then what is it that they are doing wrong playing AK? First of all we are going to take a look at the potential of AK, after that we will follow up with how Ace King, in conclusion, actually should be played and how it should not be played.

AK is the best drawing hand. AK can beat EVERY HAND, it is only a big underdog against AA and KK.

The rest of the hands is either just as strong or slighty stronger or a lot worse than AK. Hence you would say, AK is one of the best hands. This is, mathmatically said, true. But it is one of the most complicated and tricky hands too. AK is no

favourite against 22. 33 is. But then again, it is not much more of an underdog against QQ, one of the strongest hand in NL Holdem.

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How should one play this complicated hand then?

Ace King should be played with caution, but also with aggression. Being aggressive in poker is a good overall strategy anyhow, but especially when you hold AK. In tournaments you can be ultra aggressive with AK. But only as long as YOU push. NEVER call an all in with AK in tournaments as you are no favourite against all pairs and only a slightly favourite against other drawing hands like QJ and 10J. But if you are the one that is raising or

reraising with AK you could make ppl lay down 9-9, 10-10 even Jacks. This is the real strength of AK: representing KK or AA. Never go in a coinflip situation though with AK. Don’t call off your whole stack with AK in tournaments

In cash you should be cautios. Don’t go to far with AK as most of the times you are flipping a coin, and we are not in the

casino but playing poker. Most ppl overrate AK. When the flop doesn’t hit they don’t only continuation bet with AK, they even bet again at the turn cause they just fall in love with big slick. Please don’t do this. Raising prelflop is fine but please don’t bluf everything with AK. This is the biggest mistake made. Ak is nothing better than 23 if it doesn’t hit. Playing drawpoker is to expensive in no limit holdem. Remember that.

Check out also articles … How to play QQs and JJs and How to play pocket pairs

This is a short article to help you play queens and jacks pocket pairs. I hope you will find it worthy

Pocket Queens / Jacks is a hand every poker player loves to see!!!

However, this starting hand also scares more players than you may realize because they don’t know how to play them properly. The first thing you must know is that pocket queens is a very strong and solid hand. Especially heads up. You can dominate most opponents with pocket queens in a heads up game.

Let’s now go over three key Texas Holdem strategies when dealt pocket queens. Just follow this simple advice and you’ll win huge pots!

Table Position

Like all your hands dealt, your table position is key. If you’re in late position then pocket queens gets even stronger. But even from early position you can be confidently aggressive.

Pre-Flop Raise

When dealt a starting hand of pocket queens its important to know that its unlikely that you’ll get more help on the flop. Hitting trips probably won’t happen. So its vital to lay down an aggressive pre flop raise with your pocket queens. You want to get rid of the suited connectors, low pocket pairs and opponents holding king or ace rag. Or even sometimes you’ll push out someone holding king, jack. Typically raising 3 to 6 times the big blind is sufficient.

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Be Willing to Fold Your Pocket Queens / Jacks

I’ve seen it happen many times. A person goes all in pre flop with pocket queens. His opponent has ace, rag. The flop comes out ace, 3, 7. Next thing you know the player is sent home because he got too aggressive with pocket queens. You want to be aggressive with pocket queens just not overly aggressive. By placing a substantial raise pre flop you push out all the crap. Then the people left you can bet they are sitting on an ace or a king. When and if an ace or king hits on the flop you can be confident that you’re beat. Now depending on your opponents play be willing to fold and live to play another hand.

Its much better then going all in prematurely and being sent home. If you’re first to act when an ace or king hits on the flop. No problem. Simply lay down a bet of one-fourth to one-half of the pot. The opponents that don’t have the ace or king will fold to your pocket queens. If they have it they’ll raise you. If that happens. No problem. Fold it.

If an ace or king doesn’t hit you can feel pretty confident about having the strongest hand. You just need to be aware of possible sets. A lot of people like to play small pocket pairs. Watch their betting patterns and know when they have the set. If you feel that they do. Fold it. If they don’t have it. Be aggressive and take home a huge pot.

The argument about limit vs. no limit has become as heated as the ongoing spat over Ginger or Mary Ann. No Limit poker, much like the sultry Ginger, is the movie star of the gaming world. It has flash, dramatics, and scoring can seem easy. Whenever somebody on television is pulling in a big pot you can be sure that they are playing no limit hold’em. The limit game is understated, subtle, and requires a combination of patience and skill to score.

It All Comes Down to Money

When you play either, the cards are the same, the game is the same, so what is the real difference? It all comes down to money. Money is in an integral part of the strategy of poker. It is in the back of the mind of each player when they look at their cards and wonder what to do. Unless Thurston Howell suddenly steps in and backs you with his enormously deep pockets, how much you are willing to lose is going to be tied to your strategy.

What Is the Real Difference?

Limit poker means there is a maximum on how much a player can bet or raise. There are also limits on the size of the pot. Once the pot reaches its pre-set maximum, then all betting is done. The advantage here is that it provides a safety net to the player. Someone who is new to the game will be better able to survive their mistakes because there is only so much they can lose on any one hand. It also requires a higher degree of poker skill to win big in a limit game. By taking away the ability for somebody with a large bankroll to bully and intimidate the field with his massive stack of chips, you force it to come down to actual game play. If somebody is holding a pair of Jacks, and raises by two thousand dollars, there is a pretty good chance that …..

most of the other people at the table are going to fold. They don’t know he has a measly pair of jacks, and most are not going to waste a couple weeks pay to find out. In a limit game those pair of jacks will have to stand on their own against what the rest of the table is holding. To succeed in a limit game, a player must be more patient and content to pick his opponents apart instead of trying to tear out big chunks.

It All Comes Down to Money AGAIN!

No Limit hold’em is the darling of the poker world. It is exciting and the money can be big. The advantage to the no limit game is that the rewards for a good hand are not limited some pre-defined pot maximum. Why should the payout on a royal flush be the same as somebody who has won with three kings? Also, in No Limit game, the money becomes part of the strategy. The more chips you collect, the more control of the table you have. Playing aggressive poker with a big stack will make people afraid to challenge your three kings if you raise the pot beyond the comfort zone of your competitors.

Many beginners who play No Limit hold’em generally get used to life without a shirt. Conversely, many seasoned veterans are bored by the limited game. Generally beginners learn the game in the safety of limits. Then go on to the wild world of No Limit Hold’em.

See also:

Poker tips and Tricks

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