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Online Poker Tips - No Limit Strategy

Online Poker Tips

Many amateur Texas Hold'em players that are tired of losing at the online tables come to strategy pages like this one hoping to find a silver bullet – one piece of super secret strategy advice that will transform their game. The truth of the matter is that the very best NL Texas Hold'em poker strategies are complex, incorporating a number of concepts and transforming according to the game format, the table size, the style of your opponents and the size of your stack. Still, every exceptional strategy started with a simple foundation. Here are a few core concepts to consider when building your own tournament-winning No Limit Texas Hold'em poker strategy.

Starting Hands
You've no doubt seen the top Texas Hold'em starting hand lists, and hopefully you've read them and taken them to heart. Since a majority of hands actually end pre-flop, it's crucial that you have an iron-clad strategy for your starting hands. That means knowing the potential not only of pocket rockets but of middling and even weak hands in the right situations. Rather than forge your starting hand strategy through trial by fire, we recommend that you cop an already successful formula from the pros.

Doyle Brunson's legendary strategy book, Super/System, is a good start. David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth also devised a very effective ranking system which pro William Chen has simplified into a table-ready equation. Phil Hellmuth's Play Poker Like the Pros also offers a comprehensive but easy to use deck-wide rating system.

Ring Game Strategy
There is no single blanket strategy for NL Texas Hold'em ring games because your choices will vary depending on your style. That said, a good strategy should remain consistent throughout long sessions spent amongst the same table of opponents. At most you'll only fine tune your strategy as you become more familiar with the other players.

Tournament Strategy
Your NL Texas Hold'em tournament strategy will follow a clearer pattern than your ring game strategy. That's because each stage of a tournament calls for a very clear direction. For example, in a single-table tournament like a sit and go, only the aggressors prevail. Being passive isn't an option, and even being tight can be detrimental. On the other hand, in an MTT your strategy will change with every round.

In the first stage of an MTT, your strategy will be very similar to your regular ring game strategy. It's your job to identify the weaker players at your table and to use them to improve your standing. While you should be seeing more flops at this stage while the blinds are low, you should still be playing pretty tight-aggressive to avoid gambles that could put you out of the action early.

In the middle stages of an MTT, you'll adjust your strategy according to stack size. If you're short-stacked, then you need to determine how much time you have to make the inevitable big move. If you've got a middling stack, then pick your battles wisely to continue to improve your standing. If you've got a big stack, then take advantage of your lead before you lose it by using your chips to control the action and bully the small stacks.

If you're on the bubble with a low or middling stack, then you like many other players will tighten up, but this is also a good time to take smart risks when facing an opponent with a similar or smaller stack, since they'll be second-guessing any big bets. The same is true in the late stages when everyone wants to get to the final table – now is the time to semi-bluff and steal some blinds, assuming the betting is weak.

Many amateurs are so excited to get to the final table in an MTT that their strategy goes totally out the window as they play hard and fast hoping to improve their ranks. Now more than ever it's important for you to tighten up and really consider your hands, since every place represents a significantly larger prize.

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