No Limit Texas Holdem Strategy – Playing Before the Flop

When to call a bet – you usually shouldn’t just call a bet. You give too much information to a good player in a better position when you just call. However, in some cases you could call:

1.      When you have a hand that is not easily dominated, hands like a medium or small pair or suited connectors - these hands like a lot of opponents. For example: Queen Jack suited or a pair of 66

2.      When you’re strong and believe that one of the players will raise.

3.      When you have good pot odds  for example: six players called and you have 98 suited

When to raise – As we said before, in No Limit Texas Holdem you should carefully consider which hands you are going to play. Therefore, once you've decided to play, the hand is probably worth raising:

1.      How much to raise – we usually recommend raising between 2 to 6 times the big blind. When you’re in an early position, tend to go for 2 to 3 times the big blind and from late position 5 to 6 times. Raise the same amount whether you have a reasonable hand or when you have a great hand in order not to expose your game.

2.       When you’re in late position and no one has yet called the big blind, almost any hand is worth raising.

3.      When you’re in the small blind and no one has called the big blind, you should usually fold against a good player because you’re in a bad position. Against a weak player you can call or try to steal the blind by raising if you think he might fold.

4.      If one player raised, some of the other players called, and you have a good hand, go for a big raise - if you think the first raiser might fold, he will make it difficult for the rest of the players, who hadn’t reraised him, to call your big raise.

Stealing the dealer's button – As we said before, position is one of the most important factors in No Limit Texas Holdem. Therefore, sometimes try to steal the best position even if you’re sitting to the right to the dealer's button. You do that by raising. Then if the player to your left folds, you’ll have the best position for the whole hand. Sometimes do the same thing when sitting two places to the right to the dealer with the appropriate players sitting to my left.

Going all in – This move is one of the most exciting moves in poker. go all in

when:

1. you think you have the best hand and one of your opponents will call
2. you don’t have the best hand, but think the other players will fold
3. you are getting good pot odds no matter what the other player do

Examples for going all in:

1. If you hold a pair of Aces, one player raised the big blind and 3 more players called his raise
2. If you have a pair of 77, one loose player has raised and no one has yet called
3. Or if you have Ace Jack suited, the pot is big and you’re short stacked.