Poker Basics: General Poker Rules
Posted on January 6, 2008
Filed Under Uncategorized
Gaining Tempo: A Poker Strategy
In order to play good poker, one must build an effective poker strategy. Most often, players assume that strategy is only limited to betting patterns, bluffing, and reading your opponents’ behavior. They are missing out on one important aspect of poker: that it is a game of gaining control. A good poker player would build one’s strategy according to that grand plan of controlling the table.
One way of gaining control is by focusing on tempo. An effective poker strategy would be to gain tempo, that is, to be in control of the pace of the game. These involve several factors: the size of the bets, how often players call or fold, or how often players bluff or slow-play.
In order to have an effective poker strategy revolving on gaining tempo, one needs to first decide what pace one wants to run. The pace of a poker game could be characterized into two: loose or tight. Having a loose game means that players play with more hands and continue to call even with weak hands. Tight games mean that players play with fewer hands and most often not continue with weak hands.
In poker games with players having uneven amount of betting money, one needs to look at the differences between your money and the others. Having the least starting money does not necessarily put you at a disadvantage; however, having a large amount of starting money does give you a certain power: you can play aggressively with little or no reservations.
In the case that you have the least starting money, a good poker strategy would be to initiate a tight game as to often gain positive pot odds. Aggressive plays would help in forcing your opponents to fold, but it might have a little effect since your opponents have more chances of playing aggressively. Slow-playing would be the best case, since it would make your opponent anxious even on simple calls. Once you have a significant amount of winnings, play erratically before you play aggressively. This will put your opponents off-track, and your behavior would be difficult to read.
If you have a large amount of starting money, get a feel of the other players first. If most of the players play passively, one needs to initiate a loose game by betting in small amounts. You can create a bigger pot - and reap larger winnings - once you control the tempo. For aggressive players, a good poker strategy would depend on their betting behavior: are they bluffing more often than not? If so, play very aggressively as to put them in an uncomfortable position, therefore initiating a loose game.
Remember, there are many poker playing styles, but all of the common poker is a game of gaining control. An efficient poker strategy would be to control tempo, or the pace of the game. In poker games that allow players to have uneven starting betting money, it will depend on your situation. Tight games are for players that have less starting money; and players that have large starting money would need to initiate either a loose or tight game, depending on the behavior of the other players. Once you learn to gain tempo, it is sure that you will gain the rewards.
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