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Article 1: Playing the flop in Texas Hold’em
Article 2: Texas Hold'em Preparations
Article 3: Bluffing in Poker Hold’em
Article 4: No Limit Holdem Strategy - Playing in Low Stakes Games
Article 5: Texas Holdem - Why So Popular?
Article 6: Fixed Limit Hold`em Strategy-Playing Middle Stakes Games
Article 7: Advanced Holdem Poker Strategies -Short Handed Games
Article 8: Books That Will Improve Your Holdem Game
Article 9: APlaying Aces in No Limit Holdem
When playing Hold`em poker, you will want to find betting limits that are appropriate for you. Hold`em games with bet sizes of $10/$20, $15/$30, $30/$60 and $50/$100 are considered mid-limit games, and if you play these stakes, you should know what to expect.
First, you should expect the players to be a little better than in the low limit games. It is a truism that while there are bad players at every level, good players tend to move up in limits, so the higher up you go, the more good players you are likely to encounter. If you are one of these players who is moving up in limits, don’t be surprised to find this game a little more challenging than your lower limit games. Don’t be discouraged, it just may take you awhile to adjust to the new level of play.
You should also expect that even at these levels, some players will play quite loose. When coming from the low limit games, which are often called “no fold ‘em Hold`em” because of the preponderance of players who always stay in until the river, you might expect your opponents to tighten up because of the larger amounts of money in play. You must keep in mind that while you may be moving up to higher limits, many of your opponents are playing at the level they have always been comfortable with, and losing money on negative expectation plays may mean as little to them as it does to someone with a smaller bankroll in the low limit games. As with those games, it is very important not to get frustrated when a bad player draws out on you. You want these kinds of players in your game, and in the long run, their play will pay you dividends. In fact, one skill which it will be important for you to acquire is separating the “whales,” people with money to burn, from the “sharks,” players like you who are in the game to take advantage of those weaker players.
As with all Fixed Limit poker games, you should focus on playing a tight, aggressive, statistically sound game without regard to the short term fluctuations you will experience. The only way you can be a long term success at poker is by maintaining your discipline even in the face of poor outcomes.
Don’t be afraid to move back down in limits if your results are not turning out as you had hoped. There’s always time to come back after you refine your game and pad your bankroll at the game you know you can beat. The worst thing you could do would be to blow your entire hard earned bankroll on a game you aren’t ready for. Try to find a site were you feel comfortable, it might be a good idea to look around for the best rated poker sites or maybe best rated casino sites, if you get tired of your regular card game. But let’s get back to poker.
The temptation to move up in limits is great, especially if you have been beating the game at your current limit, but you are playing poker to make a profit, and if you let the larger sums distract you from playing where you have the best expectation, you are making a major poker faux pas.
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