How To Play Your Hand
When you first look at your texas hand and make the decision to play it, you must determine exactly how you want to play.
Specifically, do you want lots of opponents or a few opponents? A big pot or a small pot?
This depends on the type of players who are behind you, your position, and the game itself.
Even how you are doing in the game might have some bearing.
This is not usually the case, but if you have limited chips and want to play longer, you probably should play hands where you keep the pot small early and put more money in later with your better hands.
Notice that this will keep your fluctuations down.
On the other hand, you might have a slightly larger expectation by putting in more money early with some of your better hands, but this approach also may increase your fluctuations as much as threefold.
The decision whether to jam the pot and get all the raises in or to keep the pot smaller will be based mainly on the strength of your key hand.
For instance, if you are raising and reraising, you usually should have the nuts, especially if you are on the low side.
However, you also should consider how easy it is for your hand to be counterfeited later on, or how easy it is for a scare card to come that may prevent your opponent (the one going for the other side, who is currently your ally) from jamming on a later street.
If it is easy for your hand to get counterfeited, you may not want to give a lot of action until all the cards are out.
But suppose your have the high and you want the player with the probable low to jam it.
He might fear that if a small card comes on a later street, his hand can be ruined, or perhaps he may just be afraid to bet.
This may prevent the action you are hoping for later in the hand. If you think this can happen, you might want to jam it early.
Notice that these decisions are more subtle than most.
This is where experience and thinking about poker game will prove to be very helpful; advanced players excel because they play poker well and think along the right lines.
A little deception early can go a long way, because many players will form an opinion about your cards and stick with it all the way through the hand.
Consequently, on an early round, you occasionally should not raise in a spot where most other players will raise, and sometimes you should bet with a marginal hand when most of your opponents won’t.
These types of plays can be beneficial later street in the hand when the jamming starts. Someone might misread your hand and give you lots of action with the second-best hand when you hold the best hand.
Introduction / General Concepts / Position / Low Hands / High Hands / Your Starting Hand / Starting With Big Pairs / When You Are First In / How To Play Your Hand / Play on the Flop / When Your Have the Best Hand / Afterthought
