Top 10 No Limit Holdem Tips
In the last 10 years No Limit Hold’em has become the most popular game played in the world. Thanks in part to “TV Poker” and the massive Multi-Table Tournament prize pools. No Limit Cash Games and tournaments are now a permanent fixture in land based casinos as well, and it’s really not a big surprise. No Limit Poker Games allow players to be aggressive, they have lots of action, and of course you can win big pots.The flip side of no Limit Poker, is that you can also go broke in one hand.
Let's now take a closer look at Texas Holdem strategy and the pattern that is essential for beginners to learn. The chart shows how many hands you are supposed to play depending on which position you sit in at the table. Example: You are sitting as player 6 to the left of the dealer button and you have a king of spades and a 7 of spades. Core Components of a Winning Poker Tournament Strategy Let’s get started with the 5 essential elements of an effective poker tournament strategy. These are tips, tricks, and strategies that greenhorns and intermediate-level poker tournament players require to become hardened tournament competitors. No-Limit Texas Holdem Tournament Strategy No-Limit Texas Holdem Tournament Strategy Learn the most important aspects of great Texas Holdem tournament strategy from some of the game’s best professional players. Learn how to play in every level of a poker tournament, big or small, with proper balanced play and expert advice.
To help you avoid going broke, you have put together this simple guide if the Top 10 No Limit Poker Tips, so the next NL game you play, you can be confident that you know what edges to exploit against your opponents, and what strategies you can use to your advantage. Below, you will find a list of tips that will be of immense value to all NL Holdem players who are just getting started with their career.
No Limit Holdem Tip #1 – Playing tight and aggressive is good
Most online grinders adopt a tight aggressive playing style because it works. By playing fewer hands it makes post flop play easier, since you will find yourself in fewer tough spots where you are unsure if you have the best hand.
No Limit Holdem Tip #2 – Adding deception to your game
Although a tight aggressive strategy is usually best, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t alter your strategy by sometimes entering pots with a raise with hands like suited connectors, or three betting with them, etc. Adding deception to your play can be extremely effective because your opponents will have a hard time putting you on hands when you hit, which will make it easier to get paid off.
No Limit Holdem Tip #3 – Never slow play your big hands
In no-limit hold’em, so many novice players tend to make the mistake of slow playing their big hands to trap an opponent. For example, instead of open raising with AA, an inexperienced player will just limp into the pot to try and set a trap, allowing other players with speculative hands to enter the pot and suck out on them. You only have the advantage with of the best hand holding AA preflop, on the flop it might just be another pair of overcards versus a straight or a flush, which can cost you a lot of money.
It’s never usually a good idea to slow playing your hand. Most players will call you with all kind of hands. You should observe the board texture to see if there are any potential draws out there. It would be a cardinal sin to give free cards on a draw heavy board, allowing your opponent to catch their draw at no cost.
That being said, it sometimes can be good to slow play, when there are no possible draws, and it’s impossible for your opponent to have a hand they can call with. In this situation, slow playing allows your opponent to hit a hand, allowing you to extract more value then had you bet straight away.
No Limit Holdem Tip #4 – Take advantage of the semi bluff
Bluffing is an important aspect of beating NL hold’em games. One of the easiest ways to incorporate a bluffing strategy into your game is by taking advantage of the semi bluff. Bluffing when you have zero outs to improve the hand is a bad idea, but when you have some out, like when you have a flush draw, even when you get called, you still have a decent chance of winning the hand, even though your intention is to take down the pot straight away.
No Limit Holdem Tip #5 – Pay close attention to your opponents
When playing in NL hold’em tournaments or cash games, you want to closely observe the other players at the table, so you know who’s playing loose or right, to get a better idea of their playing styles. It would be a bad idea trying to bluff a loose player, but if you can be confident your playing against a tight player and you find yourself in a heads up situation when you have nothing, but you sense weakness, it could be a good time to bluff. Your observant skills allowed you to win a pot you may not have won otherwise.
No Limit Holdem Tip #6 – Avoid bluffing bad players
It’s a good idea to refrain from trying to bluff bad players, because they are mostly only interested in their own hands, instead of what the betting of their opponents is trying to represent. For instance, if a player is willing to call you down with a bottom pair hand, getting folds from them is going to be extremely rare, and you should simply be looking to value bet against them.
No Limit Holdem Tip #7 – Position is extremely powerful
Play more hands in position then when you’re out of position, for the simple fact that position is more profitable in any poker games you play.
No Limit Holdem Tip #8 – Adjusting to your opponents
There is no black/white strategy to adopt in NL hold’em. Some players will be maniacs always looking to make bold bluffs, while other players will sit snug and only look to play big pots with big hands. As a poker player, you need to adjust to the different playing styles of your opponents, so that you can react to their actions in an optimal manner.
No Limit Holdem Tip #9 – Trap the maniac with a strong hand
Against a maniac who is playing loose and aggressively, it’s much better to check and set the trap when you have a strong hand, because it’s highly likely they will interpret this as a sign of weakness and will bet into you, perhaps even bluffing off their stack.
No Limit Holdem Tip #10 – Value bet calling stations
You should be doing this all day long when you have a decent made hand. Chances are they are calling with worse because they don’t know how to fold. The beauty of NL hold’em is you get to choose your bet sizes, so you can extract a ton of value with your value bets.
Other Top 10 Tips Articles:
Bounty tournaments are exactly like normal poker tournaments, except each player has a bounty on his/her head. This adds an entirely new element to the tournament, because not only do you get rewarded for surviving, but you also are rewarded for ending other players' tournament lives.
No Limit Texas Holdem Poker Tournament Strategy
When playing bounty tournaments (also called 'knockout tournaments'), players have two choices of strategy: the first choice is to play your normal poker tournament strategy and ignore the bounties, and the other choice is to adjust to the tournament and focus on knocking other players out.
Bounty Tournament Strategy
By understanding the differences between regular and bounty tournaments, you can better understand the correct strategy for knock out tournaments. First of all, the players at the bounty tables will play loose, unlike the type of play you would find at regular style tournaments. Bounty players are playing for the fun of knocking other players out more so than they are practicing good poker skills.
Players at these tables typically possess a lower degree of experience and knowledge of poker strategy in general. They place erratic all-in bets and go to showdowns with less than average hands, especially early in the tournament.
As a player in a bounty tournament, you can easily take advantage of this. For example, when you have a short stack, you can make bigger bets and get all in more often with big hands, because there is a greater chance that you'll get called. Replace value bets with over bets, because other players will take a shot to knock you out.
Another difference you can expect to find is that in normal tournament play, players check down a hand often when a small-stacked player is all-in, in order to increase the chances of eliminating that player. On the other hand, in bounty tournaments, the bounty illuminates this play and betting a dry side-pot is more typical. If you're a short stack, avoid all-in bluffs and make sure to get all-in with a solid hand, because it is likely your opponents won't have much and may be bluffing at the side pot.
Ready to Play Bounty Tournaments? Visit FullTiltPoker.com
When small stack players enter the action or the blinds, there will suddenly be many players going after that bounty, which will result in a series of calls or raises by players who do not have the best hands. If you can isolate the small stack or catch a medium stack isolating with a bad hand, you can make a profitable play. Also, don't be this small stacked player - they will undoubtedly be after you next!
Texas Hold'em No Limit Tournament Strategy
You'll also have to play aggressively enough to stay above the majority of chip stacks around the table. When big hands come up, keeping above the chip average will increase your chance of cashing in on a bounty, rather than losing it to another player who has just a few more chips than you.
Like all tournaments, when playing a bounty tournament, your sights should be set on making it to the final table. Knockout tournaments are structured so that 80% of all players' fees go into the standard prize pool. Therefore, the big money is at the final table and reaching this point should be your primary focus.
More Specific Poker Tournament Strategy: