winning poker strategy

You MUST play poker aggressively. But what does that mean?

Aggressive poker means that when you decide to play a pot you raise. This gives you the credibility to represent a big hand by continuing to bet after the flop. You only stop betting if an opponent makes it clear that they have a better hand that they are not likely to fold.

Playing aggressively is also a method of getting information about your opponents hand while putting maximum pressure on them. An added bonus is the advantage of possibly forcing your opponent to fold the winning hand.
For example, you have AQ and you make a preflop raise of four big blinds from the button. The big blind calls you. The flop comes down K 7 4 rainbow. The big blind checks. Some players pass on their chance to bet here. The turn comes down a Jack. The big blind makes a pot sized bet,
and wins the pot. Wrong, wrong, wrong. If a tight player fails to flop top pair or better out of position, that is often enough for them to let their hand go. For this reason, a continuation bet is
almost always a profitable play in a heads up situation. Aggressive poker also refers to the size of your bets. In the example above, you have to bet at least 2/3rds of the pot, if not closer to the whole thing.
Betting half the pot or less is considered a weak bet, and you are making it much easier for someone to call you with a small pair that they would otherwise fold.

The other benefit of playing aggressively is that it helps your table image.
If you have been raising a lot you may get paid off when you make a big hand and bet it the same way as your bluffs. So many players who play passively, and then get upset when they finally flop a full house and get no action. Why would anybody give you action if you are playing passively and then all of a sudden switch gears? The money is always much looser when you appear loose with yours.

Finally, when you are the one betting you have fold equity.
Fold equity refers to the likelihood that your opponent will fold to your bet. Using fold equity makes any hand more profitable because you add the chance of winning the pot without seeing a showdown.

If you're playing a tight opponent who will only continue if they significantly hit the flop, you have tremendous fold equity. You need to be betting as many flops as you can against that player. Many players fit this category.

The only ones that don't fit that description are very good players and really loose donkeys. Almost everybody in the middle plays that way in most situations.

There are two main things you need to do to play an aggressive style of
poker:
- Take the Lead Preflop
-Play your Hand Aggressively


Taking the Lead Preflop

If you have a good hand then take the lead by raising before the flop. Limping with a good hand can occasionally be a good play if you have aggressive players behind you who is raising almost every hand. However, only try this at a full ring table from early position. If you do it, take the
lead by re-raising, but in general it is the wrong way to play a big hand preflop.
Unless you're purposely trapping a specific player, it is better to take the lead. The biggest problem with letting your opponent take the lead is that they will likely win a larger pot from you if they hit a good flop because you will have trouble distinguishing their bet on the flop from a standard continuation bet.
If you do let your opponent fire first preflop it is a good idea to put in a reraise before the flop so that you have the lead going to the flop. This will give you more fold equity, both on your preflop raise as well as on your continuation bet once the flop comes down.
Also, the addition of three more cards can put your opponent in the lead. If you check before the flop with QQ, and your opponent checks behind you, you will have no way of knowing if you are ahead on a flop of 4 5 7. A raise would have driven out 45, 47, 57, 68, and 3 6, but your opponent can have any of these now.
You also want to be taking the lead with mediocre preflop hands when you have the dealer button (For example, pocket Nines and KJ). Taking the lead and having position makes KJ, 99, and many other marginal hands, very profitable at most tables.
Finally, taking the lead ensures that you will not end up playing a family pot against multiple players by narrowing the field. Even pocket Aces become weak against five players. With five players seeing the flop somebody is bound to hit a set, two pairs, or a strong draw.
In fact, you will find that playing AA without narrowing the field will cost you more than it will make you, because when someone does catch up on you, it's difficult to throw it away, and you will probably pay them off. Taking the lead in a hand puts you in the captain's chair for the hand, and you will find that by entering more hands with the lead you will be in fewer marginal situations after the flop.

Play Your Hand Aggressively

If you enter the hand with the lead and it is checked to you, it is correct to bet almost every time. The only time you shouldn't be making a continuation bet on the flop would be if you find yourself up against three or more players. Betting into three players is dangerous, and on most flops it won't work, unless you think your hand rates to be best.

Decide the size of your continuation bets based on the texture of the flop.
If the flop is K J 4 rainbow, and you have AQ like the example above, then you need to make a continuation bet that a player with a Jack can't call - probably close to the whole pot. You want a call, or a reraise, to establish that they definitely have a King or better, and you want everything else to fold.
Your opponent will miss the flop twice as many times than they connect with it, so betting most flops is generally profitable over the long run. You want to put the maximum amount of pressure on your opponents while disguising your big hands.
If you get called on the flop, you still have the lead for the turn, and you can proceed accordingly. This means that your opponent will almost always check to you on the turn, and you can take a free river card.

The home team is always considered to have an advantage when it comes to wagering on sports. In poker, a similar boost goes to the player who has the positional advantage during a hand.
On a larger scale, the players who focus on making sure that they have favorable position as often as possible will have an edge over those who are less selective. The good news is that there are plenty of players who fail to focus enough on their position.
First, players who are new to the game fail to understand how big of a leak it is to call preflop raises out of position.
They also fail to understand the benefit of buying the button, and the importance of sizing their preflop raises to reduce the likelihood of having players call behind them.
Second, the large majority of players have been told that position is important, and they know it is, but when they are in the trenches they find themselves somehow justifying preflop calls that leave them out of position.
This article will help you to obtain favorable position at the poker tables as often as possible.

The Benefits of Position

When you are the last person to act in a hand you always have more information than any person who acted before you.
Your decisions are much clearer when you have position. If you make a bet from early position, and your opponent raises, it is not always clear where you stand. However, if your opponent checks from early position and then reraises you it is very clear that they have a real hand.
Having position also allows you to make positional raises and semi-bluffs.
For example, if your opponents check to you on the flop, you can make a positional raise with high fold equity. Because everybody has declined to bet, and calling would leave them out of position, they are not likely to call a raise without a very strong hand.
You can also bet your strong draws in position as a semi-bluff. By semibluffing you can either win the pot right there, or you can win a large pot if you hit. The bonus of a semi-bluff is that if you hit your hand there is a large pot in the middle, and your opponents will often be committed to call another bet.
Late position players also have the option to take a free card, whereas a person in early position must check and hope that the late position player does not bet.
For example, if you raise on the flop your opponent will often check the turn with a strong hand to pick off a second continuation bet. However, because of your position you are able to see the river for free, and have another chance to draw for the best hand.
Another option available to late position players is floating. Floating someone is when you use your positional advantage to outplay someone by taking the pot away from them on a later betting round. This advanced technique is used to attack weakness, and enables you to steal the pot from your opponent on the turn or river without necessarily having a strong hand.
In summary, late position players have so many options to work with in playing their hands. These added options are possible because they have more information to work with.

Disadvantages of Playing Out of Position

In addition to the benefits of having position, there are several disadvantages to playing from early position. In early position, your opportunities to bluff are severely reduced because of your position. You are essentially forced to play your hands for value.
While some bluffing is still possible it's far more difficult because you will be out of position on the next betting round if your opponent calls you. Why settle for one way to win, when you have two in position?
Another problem with early position occurs when you check. If you check in early position and your opponent bets, are they betting because they have a hand, or because you checked? It is often expensive to find out the answer. As mentioned above, in position you can make a positional raise, which means you hand that advantage to them when you call from out of
position.
Playing a drawing hand is always more difficult when you are not the last to act. If you check, your opponent's bet will force you to put money in bad.
However, if you bet and get called you may find yourself out of position without improvement on the next round of betting.
Worse yet, if you are reraised you either have to let go of the hand, or chase your draw without proper odds. When you do hit your draw your bad position will often limit how much you can win because betting out could
scare them, and check-raising is a dead give-away that you have a monster.
Probably the biggest problem with being out of position is hitting a weak hand that you believe is best. For example, there are three players in the pot and the flop is 2 7 9. You hold A9 and are first to act. Basically, in this type of situation seeing a turn is dangerous because there are very few turn cards that would allow you to proceed confidently.
When you do see a turn, it is more than likely that your opponents didn't connect. However, your poor position puts you in a very tough spot with little information to work with.

Securing Favorable Position

Despite the many problems inherent in being out of position, and the advantages of having position, many players find themselves justifying plays which leave them out of position. In order to always be in position, you must first acknowledge the importance of position, and to remember this at all times while you are playing.
A great man once said, "The three most important things in poker are: Position, Position, and Position".
When we are playing we make up these excuses to justify going into a hand without position, "Well, he's raised three hands in a row, so I'll call", or "Well, my King Jack is suited, I call". Worse still, you're not only going into the hand without position, you also don't have the lead.
Your opponent has two things going for them, position and the lead, and your only justification for calling is that you can't fold two face cards. Who do you think has the edge in a hand like that? So make some simple changes to your game, and remember that calling out of position is a much
bigger leak than folding too much.
If you refuse to play mediocre hands out of position, you will be guaranteed to face fewer difficult decisions after the flop.

Limping Preflop

When you limp preflop you encourage other players to try to see a flop as well. Worse still, if another player raises from behind you then you will be tempted by pot odds to play out of position.
With some hands it is proper to limp preflop, but with many you either want to take the lead, or wait for a better spot. Basically, you really shouldn't be limp/calling with any hand that you are not willing to raise with. However, if you must limp/call promise yourself before you make the
call that you will not play a big pot with just top pair and a weak kicker.
Break that promise and you just may break your bankroll.
It is therefore favorable to raise from middle position than to simply limp.
You have the chance to buy the blinds, and you also have a chance that you will only be called by players who will act before you. It also defines your hand, which helps you to define your opponent's hands.
So before you limp, ask yourself if you should raise to drive out the players who will act after you.

Buying The Button

You always want to size your preflop raises to ensure that you are buying the button. Buying the button means that all of the players who act after you fold, making you the last player to act on all streets.
For example, you are dealt Ace King, and there are two players who act after you (the cutoff and the button). A player before you limps into the pot. You make your standard raise of three times the big blind to stay
consistent with how you generally raise.
You just made a mistake. Now, the cutoff and button can call you for only three big blinds, and they each know that they have good position for the hand. Worse still, your bet wasn't big enough to represent any sort of real hand. You're about to play a pot against 3-5 opponents, and as far as taking the lead goes you didn't do a great job.
Strong starting hands lose a lot of their value as additional players see the flop. If one or two players check to you on the flop you can make a positional raise, and buy the pot even though you missed. With five players that play isn't going to work very often.
In the example above, you had a limper in early position that is probably going to see a flop with you. You therefore aren't worried about attracting callers because you probably have at least one. Also, the blinds get a discount - so one of them is probably in too. Raise at least 3-4 big blinds plus one big blind for every limper, if not more.
Use your knowledge of your opponents to judge how much you need to bet to narrow it down to one or two callers who you have position on. The button is the most valuable chip on the table. Always buy it when you have the chance.



Summary

To summarize:
1. Make a conscious commitment to play in position
2. Don't call preflop raises out of position
3. Avoid limping where possible, and instead consider trying to buy the button
4. Size your preflop raises to discourage action from players who will act after you
Using these techniques on a regular basis you will find that you are in position more, and that will translate into an edge over players who are often out of position more often.
In general, poker is a game of small edges, but this is a big one. Staying in position is one of the largest edges a poker player can have. However, most players justify not having position far more often than they should.
Practice perfect positional play and you will probably plunder plenty of profitable pots.

If the online poker world was a pie chart you would see two giant slices and a tiny sliver. The first giant slice would be the losing players - the majority of players.
The second large slice would comprise of players who are very close to break-even - they beat the rake, but they never really win any money playing poker.
The third slice, a tiny sliver, would represent the winning players who are making the money they want to be making at online poker - probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 10%.
If you don't find yourself in the small group of winning online poker players, the best remedy is to start to look into the different things that winning players are doing to consistently win. This article will look into the things your opponents are doing to win at poker.

Use a Hand Replayer

One of the most important things that almost all consistent winning players do is objectively review their sessions at a later time.
A hand replayer is a piece of software that allows you to watch yourself play after the game has ended. Some hand replayers will even show you your odds of winning on each street, your pot odds, and other information.
Regardless of what your hand replayer does or doesn't show you, the most important thing is that you use one - regularly. When you are playing poker there is emotion, a time factor, and other factors that prevent you from being objective about your game.

When you watch yourself play later on you see things in a different way, and you will find that you start to learn from your mistakes, and improve your game. When you watch yourself make a mistake you will be able to spend some time thinking about how you should have played, whereas during the actual game the next hand gets dealt and there is no time to think objectively about the last hand.
Similarly, in almost every competitive sport (football, hockey, boxing, etc), every professional athlete reviews film after each game to find ways they can improve. At the top levels it's really not an option. The same holds true in poker. If you are not reviewing your sessions regularly you will have a difficult time making it to the top tiers of the poker world.
Poker Specific Statistical Tracking Software
Statistical tracking programs analyze the hand history files which a poker site saves to your computer. These programs will tell you how often you raise preflop, how much money you are winning or losing with AA (or any other hand), and countless other statistics. You can also see how much you are winning/losing from each position (SB, BB, Dealer Button) with each
starting hand.
Many good players are shocked to find out that they have actually lost money overall with hands like AQ and JJ. One profitable player I know was stunned to learn that he was actually a losing player with pocket Aces, even though overall he was a winning player.
As if that wasn't enough data to sort through already, these programs also collect all of this data on each opponent you play at the table. You can see whether each opponent is profitable or not (based on the hands you have played against them), how often they raise preflop, how often they win at the showdown, and much more. Opponent profiling not only adds an edge to your game, it is being used against you by a growing population of players who use this software (and it is growing fast to the point that it is becoming a perquisite to playing online poker).

Heads Up Displays
Closely connected to the statistical tracking software described above are Heads Up Displays (HUDs).
An HUD is a program that takes the data that your statistical tracking program collects and puts it right into the poker client. This means that as you look at the table on your screen you not only see the usernames of the players you are playing, you also see a wealth of information about how
they play.
A growing percentage of your opponents can see how you are playing in real time. They know how often you raise before the flop. They know how many flops you are seeing. They know how aggressive of a player you are.
All of this information is right at their finger tips.
If you are playing without this tool you are doing so at a handicap. You wouldn't take an even money wager that the 1st ranked sports team will lose to the sports team in dead last place, so why play against players who can see how you are playing without knowing how they are playing?


Discuss Poker Strategy with Friends
Talking about tough laydowns, marginal calls, and other hands that you are uncertain about is helpful to bring perspective to your game. In this way, you can reduce the frequency of costly mistakes without the cost.
These days, knowing other players who play poker is not a prerequisite to doing this. This brings us to the next thing that your opponents are doing to develop an edge which is essentially an extension of this point.

Participate Actively in Poker Forums
The major online poker forums (2+2, pocketfives, etc) are full of meaningful discussions about poker. Discussions range from basic poker theory to advanced probability, and from Hold'em to lesser known games such as Pineapple.
The major online poker forums provide an unlimited source of free poker literature on any topic. While poker books are beneficial to your game, an unlimited source of knowledge on the game of poker is available to you free of charge.
Actively participating in poker forums has also become a very important edge that a lot of your opponents are using. A growing percentage of the threads are people posting hands that they want feedback on (such as a tough laydown), and asking the poker community whether they played their hand right. This, like discussing poker strategy with friends, brings an objective perspective (multiple perspectives), and can be an even more efficient way to develop your game.
In poker, there is not always only one answer to any questionable situation. Learning multiple perspectives gives you the best chance of making the best possible decision when you encounter a similar situation in the future. It's a quick and easy way to find out if you are playing as
perfectly as you think you are.

Read Poker Books
We touched on the unlimited body of information available on poker forums, but poker books still have an important role in developing your game. For instance, Dan Harrington's three volumes on tournament play were so good that I honestly feel that a player who hasn't read them has no place in a poker tournament with a significant buy-in. Their intuitive skills at the game of poker are not enough against players who have studied these three books on tournament play carefully, and applied their principles.
Reading poker books will improve your game, and you can be sure that your opponents are reading them. In order to keep up with your opponents you need to be constantly bringing fresh perspectives to your game.
I should put a quick disclaimer here about reading books because I see so many players make the same mistake. When a typical player first learns about the value of playing in position, they overplay their position. When you read a poker book you will almost always naturally overplay some aspects of what you have just read. You will learn about some great new concept like fold equity, or the squeeze play, and you will overuse it.
One solution would be drop down a limit or two and practice what you have learned outside of your regular limit after you've done some reading. With less pressure you will be able to experiment with the new concepts you have learned before applying those concepts in high pressure situations.

Poker Coaches
Poker coaching is becoming a huge business, and thousands of players are turning to coaches to bring their game to the next level. Players are paying anywhere from $30 to $1,000 an hour to learn from the best. If poker is not a sport it sure does fit the definition closely, and there aren't many players at the top tier of any sport that could say that they reached that level without using a coach at one point or another.
So what does a poker coach do? A poker coach for an online player is generally is available by email or messenger, and helps you to improve different aspects of your game. In most cases this involves sending the coach hands, or sessions, via email which they review and then respond
with feedback on how you played the hand or session.
This, like several other methods discussed in this article, is another way to bring a fresh perspective to your game.

Summary
Almost every person who sits down at a poker table feels that they are naturally suited to be a profitable poker player. It is natural to think that your individual skill set will naturally make you a winning poker player, but with more people working on their game using the tools described in this article there aren't many players who can just sit down at a poker table and
collect money consistently.
Poker is not free money day, it is a game of skill which millions of players are studying, many quite regularly. Whether you choose to implement some or all of these tools as part of your arsenal is your decision. Just know that each one you add will help you to even the playing field, and become a more profitable poker player.
Remember, poker is not a zero sum game. You cannot be in the 51st percentile and expect to be profitable. Every poker room takes a rake from each hand, and this means that many good poker players are either losing players, or break even players.
This is why it is so important to constantly work on your game. You'll win that big tournament some day if you set your mind to it. If you play enough satellites and take enough shots at those big tournaments it will happen sooner or later. Just know that the length of time it takes will be
directly correlated to how much effort you are willing to put into becoming the best poker player you can be. Above all, never stop learning.