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Beginners' Low Limit Poker Strategy Guide Page 5

There are more advanced topics you can study such as discounting outs (reducing the value of or completely disregarding outs that may improve an opponents hand as well as your own) but for now just play the pre-flop starting chart, and get used to figuring out your draw odds and pot odds.  Also, keep implied odds in mind.  Implied odds are further bets that may be added to the pot during or after the current round.  If there are several opponents in the round whom you know to be loose and you are fairly certain that they’ll call further bets, then you can figure in a couple more bets when calculating your pots odds.  Sometimes this will swing a hand over from folding, to keeping it in play.  Although it sounds difficult, calculating pot odds and counting your outs becomes second nature quickly.  Eventually you will be able to glance at your cards, the board, and the pot and just know if it’s profitable to continue playing.  Again, don’t worry too much about discounting outs, or implied odds, or other things until you get your pre-flop play down, and become comfortable finding your outs and comparing your draw odds to the pot odds. 

In conclusion, the strategy I would advise for beginning poker players is to stick to the starting hand chart as if other hands don’t exist.  After the flop figure out what hands you can improve to.  Then count your outs to making those hands.   If the best hand you can achieve is middle pair or worse, then throw it away.  Do not draw to gut-shot straights or backdoor flush’s unless there are several opponents left in the hand, and the pot is enormous.  Let your pot odds tell you whether to stay in the hand or not.  Again there are always exceptions, but when first learning basic strategy, you’ll already be far ahead of the competition if you just play smart, conservative poker and follow your starting hand chart. 

Also, keep in mind that if a hand is worth calling a bet with, then it’s worth betting.  By checking first, and then calling a bet, you show weakness.  More importantly if you bet first, then there is a possibility of winning the pot outright.  By only calling, you lose that possibility.  Betting can also protect your hand.  If you hold QJ and the flop is J32, your hand is vulnerable to overpairs and flush/straight draws.  By betting you could potentially knock out players who, by allowing them to continue, may beat you with a lucky card on the river.  Betting gives you the chance to win the hand outright, and can protect your hand by knocking out players with weak draws that have the potential to win if a lucky card falls on the river.

And finally, one of the wisest poker sayings I’ve ever heard is simply “Look for reasons to fold.”  Most players look for a reason, any reason to stay in a hand, often creating them purely with their imagination.  Be aggressive when you know you’ve got the best hand or can steal the pot from a weak player, but otherwise, always look for reasons to fold.  You’ll never make any money playing poker if you lose your profit chasing bad draws when you know you’re beaten.  Please stop by our poker forum if you ever have any questions.

Good Luck!  

1 Use the pre-flop starting hand chart
2 Only play top pair and better
3 Find your outs and draw odds for improving your hand
4 Figure out your pot odds
5 Continue with the hand if you have the correct pot odds (pot odds>draw odds) for improving to a winning hand.

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