No Limit Texas Holdem Strategy – General Tips

Remember that in No Limit Texas Holdem, making the wrong decision about seeing the flop can cause you to lose a lot of money; be sure to pick your starting hands very carefully.

Many books will tell you what hand you should or shouldn’t play preflop. I don’t believe in these guidelines; you should act according to the specific game and situation you are in. But here are some hints:

1.      Position is even more important than in limit Texas Holdem – Play only a very good hand from an early position unless the game is very passive and there is usually no raising before the flop.

2.      Your image at the table – Unless you have a tight image (which you should have), don’t bluff.

3.      The other player’s style – If you’re playing against a maniac who raises frequently, wait patiently until you have a good hand. You can slow-play against this player.  Against a tight passive player, try to steal the blinds as much as you can.

4.      Your stack size – If you have short stack play tight. If you are the chip leader at the table, you can bully the other players by aggressive play, but don’t go overboard.

5.      Your opponent stack size – Be careful when playing against someone who has more money than you. Don’t play a marginal hand with them. Try to get some information from them by raising, for example.  Be selective about the hands you are playing against short stack players because they tend to play only their best hands. This is not the case against very short stacked players, who would probably go all in with even a marginal hand.