In terms of game rules, poker does not seem to be a game that is hard, to win you either make the strongest hand by the showdown or you make everyone fold. And this is how most amateurs see the game, they perceive all the card games basically as games of luck, emotions and adrenaline. Actually, you can’t say this approach is wrong. However, anyone who sets a goal to study this game and begins to deepen their knowledge very quickly realizes how complex its internal mechanics and the basics of poker strategy are.
With mastering different concepts and formulas, the player gradually builds what gives him an advantage and allows him to win over the long term – his own tactics. In the following article, we have prepared all the basic information you need about poker strategies.
Poker Strategies Depending on Stack Size
We start with the criteria that affects poker strategy the most. This is the stack size. The amount of chips in front of a player determines his lines and bet sizes he chooses. An effective stack is the number of chips that can go into the pot in a hand. Effective stack is the smallest stack of the players in the hand. So, if one of the opponents has 100 BB, and the other has 70 BB, then the effective stack is 70 BB, since the remaining 30 BB will never go to the pot.
This factor is very important in adjusting the strategy, especially in tournament poker, in which stacks are constantly changing and blind levels increase over time, making stacks shorter.
In addition to strategies, software plays a significant role in the performance of a poker player. These can be special trackers or convenient auto-seating scripts like MagicSeat, which simplify the search for soft tables. This way you can play against weak opponents and check which tactics work better in a given situation.
Short Stack
The fewer chips a player or his opponent has left, the more important the starting equity of the hands is. The fact is that short stacks give little tactical freedom during the hand, since you can go all-in much earlier in a hand and you don’t need a plan for multiple streets.
In MTT, there is a concept called “push-fold”. This is the stage at which players with stacks less than 20 BB are forced to reduce their arsenal of tactical moves to two actions – all-in or fold. This way they fully realize the equity of their starting hands from preflop already, before the flop and following cards have an opportunity to affect player’s decisions.
In cash, adjustments for short stacks are usually associated with the presence of amateurs at the table who do not use the auto-buy option. For example, there is no point in isolating such an opponent with a marginal hand like a medium connector, when even on a connected texture it is impossible to get enough fold equity for a bluff. And vice versa, it is worth actively three-betting him with a high broadway hand to then go all-in preflop or on the flop.
In the early 2000s, there was a so-called Short Stack Strategy (SSS), popular at that time even among very strong regulars. It consisted of using push-fold ranges after entering the game with 20 BB. When doubling, such poker players left the table. This method allowed you to quickly increase bankroll for higher stakes, but it slowed down the development of a strategy for playing poker with full stacks.
SSS has not been used for more than 10 years. Firstly, top poker players have mastered full stacks and pulled the entire industry along with them, and secondly, rooms now do not allow buying in for less than 40 BB.
Average Stack
An average stack is considered to be an amount of chips around the starting stack of 100 BB. This amount is optimal for realizing the equity of all the ranges played, since it allows you to balance them with marginal hands. In addition, a full stack makes you plan for the whole hand up to the river, taking into account the SPR (Stack to Pot Ratio). Actually, when talking about poker strategy at the tables, people most often mean 100BB play.
In tournament poker, there is usually no option to re-buy to the starting stack, and the increase of blind size quickly devalues chips. The average stack here is around 60 BB to the push-fold stage, which starts from 20 BBs and lower.
Deep Stack
An increased pile of chips in the cash appears after winning a large pot. Nevertheless, from the point of view of game mechanics, you only play deep if there’s a player at the table with the same impressive number of chips. The deeper the stacks, the less important the starting raw equity of the hands is and the more important their playability becomes.
Suited connectors and Ax-Kx combinations gain an advantage in such hands even over overpairs. Nutted AA-KK on most boards remain very strong, but in fact are only a top pair. On connected boards, they are unable to withstand aggression with deep stacks, while the connectors can actively push the opponent out of the pot by semi-bluffing with draws and gutters.
The situation is different in tournaments. Depending on the stage, a player who managed to double or triple can either maintain an advantage, giving opponents the opportunity to sort things out among themselves, or put pressure on them with a huge pile of chips. The fear of elimination adds fold equity to such tactics.
Basic Strategies for Playing Texas Hold’em Poker
It is common to distinguish several styles in poker based on aggression and looseness criteria, which means the amount of hands played. This is a more advanced approach for experienced players and it basically defines the entire concept of playing Texas Hold’em poker, setting your default ranges and adjusting them to different circumstances. Let’s take a closer look:
Tight-Aggressive
TAG is a favorite style of regular players, which involves narrow, that is, tight, ranges, but high aggression when playing them. The average VPIP (Voluntarily put money into the pot) of these poker players is 19-25%, and PFR usually does not exceed 15-20%. Although such players may have pronounced leaks, balanced starting ranges allow them to have a positive win rate with sufficient discipline.
Loose-Aggressive
LAG is a rare type of player. It has two extremes:
- “Maniac”. An amateur with excessive aggression, playing up to 90% of all hands and aiming to dominate the table. Constant three-bets, bets, raises with a high VPIP quickly deprive such poker players of all money, running into strong hands of opponents. Having a large loss rate, “maniacs” are desirable opponents for TAGs.
- LAG-regular. The type of player who is able to knock even the most tilt-resistant TAGs out of their comfort zone. His ranges are not as wide as those of a “maniac”. VPIP can reach 30-35%, but a deep understanding of poker mechanics and the ability to read players allow them to constantly put pressure on opponents, getting a lot of many through the “red line”, that is, before the showdown. Many top poker players adhere to this style.
Tight-Passive
This style is typical of cautious beginners and amateurs. They play adequate or too tight ranges, preferring to act defensively, that is, by calling instead of betting and raising.
The extreme of the tight-passive style of play is the nits. Such poker players enter the hand with very strong ranges and prefer slowplay. Opponents of this type are easy to read and do not pose a threat to thinking regulars.
Loose-Passive
A style that involves wide ranges without aggression. This one is common among recreational players. They call any raises preflop to see the common cards, and then easily fold the hand without hitting the flop.
The “extreme” representatives of the loose-passive style are the “whales”. They slowly but steadily give away small pots, which cannot be compensated for by rare times they actually hit something.
Balanced
Passive varieties of the playing style we cannot call an actual strategy, since simplifying poker to a single criterion – hitting the board – makes it predictable and loosing. Therefore, regulars always develop in the direction of TAG or LAG. The latter is more complex and balanced and requires a lot of theoretical work and practice. A good LAG should know the tight-aggressive style in order to find exploits in it.
HisHands. Your Assistant in Opponent Analysis
In addition to strategy, it is equally important to use poker software. There is quite a lot of it on the market and even an advanced player can get confused when choosing it. To avoid beating around the bush, let us tell you about our product HisHands. This is our multi-threaded data gathering system, which will allow you to get the maximum data on your opponents at the table.
Since 2016, we have been constantly developing and improving our services, providing poker players with unique tools to improve the efficiency of their game. Our mission is not just to offer ready-made data mining, but to help you confidently get ahead of your competition and get the most out of each gaming session.
This is what makes the HisHands service unique:
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With HisHands, you will always be one step ahead of your competition, analyzing their game and revealing hidden opportunities. We create conditions for your success and make the game at the poker table more meaningful and profitable. And knowing the basics of poker strategy, you can get the most out of your online sessions. Stay one step ahead of others!