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Casinos> Gambling Articles > Poker Strategies: Slowplaying, Bluffing, Changing Pace
Poker Strategies: Slowplaying, Bluffing, Changing Pace and Second
Best Hand
If you’re playing poker with advanced players, it will be a
tough game, but an interesting challenge. When you are in a tough game, there
are some strategies that will help you increase your chances of coming out on
top. If the players are not skilled in poker, you can beat them by using basic
strategies. If the players are skilled, your will need to use deception and a
wide range of other skills in order to win.
Slowplaying
Slowplaying is the opposite of bluffing. You need to make
your opponents think you have a bad hand. This deception is effective against
highly skilled players or bad players equally.
Never slowplay if there is a draw on the table that can beat
you. You only slowplay when your opponent has a hand that is unlikely to
improve enough to beat your hand. Use this strategy with caution until you have
it crafted to perfection. Sometimes it is best to wait for the turn to bet
hard. This allows you to suck your opponent in for one last big bet.
Bluffing
You only bluff when your opponent is highly skilled. Bad
players often call anything, so bluffing will be a useless effort. The goal of
a bluff is to convince your opponent to lay down a hand which he shouldn’t.
The best method is to bluff by representing a hand. There
are times when blind betting will cause your opponent to fold if he has
nothing. Your real objective is to make an opponent holding a good hand to
believe that you have beat him. This is much easier to do at no limit than
limit. At no limit you can put in a pot-sized bet. However, a highly skilled
player is most likely to call one more bet if the game is limited.
In a limit game, it’s best to fold at the flop. Once a
skilled player begins to call big bets, he is not apt to fold unless he draws
and misses.
Keep in mind that when you bluff, you must bet as if you
actually hold the hand. Be cautious of betting hard when you are in a scary
situation, as skilled opponents may become suspicious. If you tend to bet hard
when you have a good hand, then it’s only logical to bet hard when a good hand
comes into play on the board. If you slowplay when you have a good hand, then
there’s a good chance your opponents will realize when you are bluffing.
Changing Pace
If you always play the same style of poker, it will soon
become boring and repetitive. It’s also not a good way to compete well at
poker. Do not play every poker hand the same way or your opponents will find
you predictable. Mix your play randomly. If you tent to play tight, loosen up
occasionally. If the opposite is true, tighten up the odd hand. This keeps your
opponents guessing.
Second Best Hand
Your poker losses will not be predominantly from folding
your big blind pre-flop; they will be from finding yourself stuck with a hand
that is second best. Most people loose at poker by “paying off” the best hand.
Of course you have no idea which cards you opponent is
holding. This makes folding when you’re beaten an impossible feat, but you can
fold hands that are dominated pre-flop. If an opponent who is in an early
position raises, fold your ace/Jack off-suit hand. Chances are your opponent
has a pair of Jacks, an ace/King or an ace/Queen combination.
If you study and practice these advanced strategies, your
poker skills will increase and you’ll find yourself in the winner’s spotlight
much more often. Have fun and good luck!
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