As Kenny Rogers said in The Gambler, “You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away, and know when to run” What holds true in this life lesson holds true at the poker table as well. To win the game of poker, you need to know when to bet, when to hold, when to fold, and when to bluff your hand. This winning poker strategy is easier said than done, however.
There is a lot of info available on how to win every hand of poker. The reality is that you probably won’t win every hand of poker or even the majority of hands of poker that you play in your life. That’s why poker is called gambling, because while there is a lot of skill that goes into the game and each and every hand you bet, hold, fold, or bluff; you can’t forget about the pure chance involved in a deck of 52 cards.
Each game variety of poker will have very distinct rules, setup, and procedures. Likewise, each type of poker game will have its own winning strategy. A hand you might want to bet strongly in five card draw you may want to hold in a card stud, and fold in Texas Hold’em.
It’s recommended that before you start playing a specific type of poker game, you should gather as much info about the poker game as possible. This extra info will arm you as you go into the poker game, and as you play you will be able to better understand the strategy needed to win more hands of the poker game you are playing.
You’ll have the info available on when to bet all your money, hold your cards, fold or throw them in, or bluff your way out of a less-than-ideal poker hand.
You can also gather info on winning poker strategy from the players themselves. Watch the players at your poker game that have the most money. When do they bet high or hold low? When do they fold their cards, and when do they bluff to take a large pot.
All of these questions can be answered with a little quiet observation. Or after the game go up and talk to the winners. Many are more than happy to share their strategy with you and would welcome the challenge of playing poker with more skilled winning players.
