Being tight does not keep you from being aggressive. Tight-Aggressive is a good play combination. Play the right card, but when you’re in a pot, play it hard. Bet strongly, even if you are doing a semi-bluff. People would usually fold against you if you are a tight player. Try and use maximum aggressiveness when you’re in the flop, and especially against one player. On the other hand, don’t think you are superhuman!

I mean, aggressiveness is a tool, and a very good one combined with tightness ? but people can pick up on the fact that you are tight. They can set traps, slow-play strong cards, and let you do the betting. Be aggressive, yet cautious, if someone just calls you. Unless the guy is a donkey, he should know you are holding a strong hand, and you are going to bet it to the very end. Just don’t let it be the bitter end of your night.

The bottom line is you should vary your game and change gears all the time. If you see the mode on the table is aggressive, then you can be more passive and let other people bet. If the table becomes more passive and the game has been going for a few hours (or days), it’s an excellent time to pace up and bring out the big guns. The big guns are obviously aggressiveness and a little looser play. To get some needed oxygen, betting away a few pots and stealing a few blinds can keep your stack at medium level and give you the opportunity to double up on a nice sum, if you are being challenged by a player who notices your aggressiveness. You bluff two pots, and now you’re the loose player in the game. Then, gear down, and play passive and weak, and bang ? you’ve won yourself a big hand and you can go right back to playing aggressively. Obviously, someone will try to use his “read” on you, thinking you are bluffing again, and you’ve doubled up.

Congratulations!

Special thanks: The Spanish guide for poker | Portuguese poker guide

In no limit Texas Hold’em, especially tournaments, a player is often confronted with large bets and raises. It is crucial if faced against a huge bet that the player has some kind of understanding of odds and the value of the hand he or she is having. In no limit games a large raise often means you are up against a very strong hand and to know the odds you have with a hand against a strong hand is advantageous.

Below is a pre-flop odds chart for common heads-up situations.

• AA vs. KK: AA has about 80% to win the pot. That goes for all over pairs against under pairs.
• AKs vs AQs: AKs has about 70% to win, the AQ has about 26% and there is a 4% of split pot.
• An Ace against another Ace with lower kicker: the Ace with higher kicker has in most cases about 70% chance to win unless both kickers are low, then the chance of split is higher.
• AK, AQ, AJ or other high over cards against pocket pairs such as 77, 88 and 99: the pocket pairs are slight favourites to win with a 55% chance to win. If the over cards are suited the odds are about 53% against 47% to the pocket pairs favour.
• A10 vs. KQ and other hands in the middle: A10 has about 60% chance.
• A10 vs. 78 and other hands with two under cards: The over cards have about 65% chance of winning the pot.
• A10 vs. K 8 and other hands where one card is in the middle: The high hand has between 60-65% of winning depending on suits.

Books for beginners

1. Harrington On Holdem, by Dan Harrington
2. Complete Book of Hold Em Poker, by Gary Carson
3. HoldEm Excellence, by Lou Krieger
4. Hold’em Poker by David Sklansky

Books for Intermediate and Advanced poker Players

1. Theory of Poker by David Slansky
2. Hold’em for Advanced Players by David Sklansky
3. Caros Book of Poker Tells
4. Harrington on Hold’em: Vol II – The Endgame by Dan Harrington
5. Super System 2 by Doyle Brunson and other co-authors

Number of players

The higher the number of people, say ten, it’s much more likely that someone else has a strong hand in the pocket than in a short-handed game. Also, you’ll need to be careful in larger games, as the chances of someone’s pre-flop hand fitting the flop will be much better.

The nature of the players at the table

If you have been playing with only a few players for several hands and there is one person constantly raising every hand pre-flop, you should start playing tighter. Allow him to win the blinds initially and then beat him with a solid hand when you have a solid hand in the pocket pre-flop.

Your bankroll

If you have little money left and have already spent the money allocated to gambling, be extremely carefully and select one hand to bet on, hoping to get as many players involved as possible for a larger pot. You’ll want to be all-in before the flop is dealt. However, if you do have a large amount left and are betting on a small bet table, you can take the high-risk with high-payout bets.

Your position

People in late position have the ability to influence the size of the pot much more than those in early position. This is especially true pre-flop.

Tolerance for risk

Obviously, your bets will depend on your tolerance for risk. You may want to play more or less aggressively pre-flop depending on your style. Some players shooting for larger pots don’t mind risking the loss of a few hands and may want to raise pre-flop. Some players prefer to be as selective as possible pre-flop, grinding out a winning hand here or there.

Some novices love the idea of bluffing and tend to misuse this trick thereby rendering it useless. The value of the bluff increases under certain general circumstances that often have a lot to do with information you assume about the other players. Whatever it might be, bluffing should be done smartly.

Some typical reasons to bluff are listed below:

Bluff when there aren’t many other players in a pot

With fewer hands, the likelihood of no one having made a reasonable hand is a safe assumption. However, this is a well-known ploy; some gamers will stay in the game just to drag it on. Thus, this needs to be a persistent bluff over a period of two or three betting rounds. This ploy can be costly if they don’t fall for it. You need to know the players before you use this type of bluff.

Bluffing when you are up against fairly tight players

Obviously players who fold easily are the easiest targets for a bluff. Bets can be played just to see what the player does and how he thinks. If you bluff early against a very tight player and he doesn’t give in, then he is more likely to have something. Be cautious and determine whether they have a made or drawing hand. If you know your players, this will be easier.

Bluff when on the river

Players will typically react to the rule of ‘fold when you don’t have good cards’. This is however, a good time to bluff, the time when you have weak hands. Some players will stay in just for the pot odds chart.

Bluff when you bet pre-flop and missed

The reasoning is that the players don’t know that you have missed. This can be tricky, and you really have to evaluate before you get into this one.

Bluff when you have given other players “the fear”

It’s about how other players perceive you. If you just won a hand through good play, the players who say “nice hand” are the ones who now respect you. They will more likely fold to your bluff if you play it right. The trick is to play the hand exactly the same way you played the other winning hand.

Bluff when Pre-flop on the button, and everyone else has folded

This is usually best used with tight players to your left. This bluff may work as it has the potential to change from a bluff to a deceptively good hand with luck and the right flop.

Bluff when there is a pair on the board

This is especially useful when the pair is 88 or lower. Chances are that these cards might have been folded or are still in the deck. This is one situation where you want to evaluate the hand very carefully if they do call though.