Advanced poker strategies aren’t for every poker player as they require a fundamental understanding of the game. Here are some of them.
Advanced Poker Strategies: Play Like A Battle-Hardened Pro
Advanced poker strategies require a fundamental understanding of this ancient card game. Consequently, comprehending them to the level where you can use them instinctively will need plenty of practice. Regardless, countless poker strategies promise to improve your skill but fail to do much else other than make you lose more. Online resources left and right purport to provide guaranteed winning methods, but we advise caution.
We decided to set up the following guide as a comprehensive look at some strategies we know work, thanks to the more experienced members of our staff. If you’re into No-Limit Texas Hold’em games, you should have some fun below. These tips cover vastly different topics and are at least somewhat advanced.
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Advanced Poker Strategies: How To Boost Your Gaming
Some of the advanced tips you should take the time to try include:
- Overbetting when you have the “nut advantage”
- Attempting to check-raise withdrawal after calling a 3-bet
- Suited connectors and pocket pairs can be lucrative in multiway pots
- Raise-check more frequently from the big blind
- Bluff using non-made hands with backdoor flush draws.
Overbetting When You Have The “Nut Advantage”
When it comes to boards that favor your range over your opponent’s range, overbets tend to work well. They are particularly effective when you’re the only one able to have the strongest hands. In terms of poker, this situation is known as having the “nut advantage.”
Let’s assume you raise the preflop from a late position. Imagine that your opponent calls and the flop comes Q-J-T; you have a nut advantage on this flop. The reason is that your opponent should never have TT, JJ, QQ, and AK. With those hands, they likely would have a 3-bet preflop. Simultaneously, your range features all of those hands.
As far as advanced poker strategies go, your overbetting range should only consist of bluffs and strong hands. Considering your value hands, using such a large size would allow you to get the maximum and also generate maximum fold equity.
Additionally, hands that block your opponent’s most likely strong hands are usually the most effective overbet bluffs. Using the nut flush blocker on a three-to-a-flush board is the best example of this situation.
Attempting To Check-Raise With Draws After Calling A 3-Bet
Calling a 3-bet and playing too passively in the aftermath can be detrimental to your win rate. You’ll need to check-raise with all of your strong hands while simultaneously balancing your range withdraws.
Your opponent will most likely feel confused if you start check-raising with a balanced range. The reason is that they have no way of knowing whether you’re bluffing or you actually have a strong hand. On the other hand, your plays can easily become transparent if your game is not balanced. Consequently, you won’t be able to extract maximum value with your strong hands.
Suited Connectors And Pocket Pairs Can Be Lucrative In Multiway Pots
It is common sense to expect that it is more likely that someone will hit a strong hand the more players enter the pot. Understanding this causality should affect your preflop hand selection in a specific way. Advanced poker strategies dictate you should mainly play hands that have a high chance of making two pairs or better by the river when a pot is likely to go multiway.
However, one question remains: which hands are more likely to hit really strong hands? The answer is pocket pairs and suited/connected hands. The reason why pocket pairs are an extremely strong multiway pot hand is that they hit a set on the flop 11.8% of the time. Conversely, a hand like a JT offsuit (which becomes two pairs or better) does the same just 4.8% of the time.
When it comes to suited connectors, let’s observe two versions of the same hand: a QT offsuit and its counterpart. 26.3% of the time, QT suited flops a strong hand or draw, whereas the QT offsuit does the same only 16.9% of the time. In other words, you’re looking at a 55% relative increase in very favorable flops for QT suited.
Check-Raise More Frequently From The Big Blind
You make your opponents’ bets much more profitable than they should be if you don’t pressure them with check-raises. When it comes to advanced poker strategies, this advice becomes critical if you’re playing against an opponent who c-bets recklessly with too many weak hands. Your opponent’s hands still have equity despite being weak. You allow them to realize that equity if you don’t check-raise.
You can choose between check-raising for value and as a bluff. The wisest choice is to check-raise with your strong hands (two-pair or better) when it comes to the former. However, don’t stop there. As soon as you select the hands you’d like to raise for value, you should also pick your bluffs.
Choosing the best bluffs requires choosing the hands with decent equity and those that also feature a chance to improve to a flush or straight. While having an overcard or two is helpful, these hands are typically flush draws, open-ended straight draws, and gutshot straight draws. Find a way to randomize your draws and avoid check-raising all of them.
Bluff Using Non-Made Hands With Backdoor Flush Draws
If you have the betting initiative, along with an unpaired hand with a backdoor flush draw, you should consider betting. If you also have a position on your opponent, this move is particularly effective. Betting with such flush draw hands can often be profitable. The reason is that these hands can often become effective bluffs on the turn in several situations.
These situations include when the turn gives you a flush draw and when the turn completes numerous draws. The first situation means you’ve picked up more equity, and you should typically keep up your aggression with a double-barrel bet. Additionally, hitting a flush on the river means you have a chance at winning a juicy pot.
Conversely, you can make your opponent over-fold by betting on super scary cards that complete draws. Most of these opponents typically think something along the lines of “it’s unlikely he/she is bluffing since all of the semi-bluffs got there.” Consequently, as far as advanced poker strategies go, this one can be particularly effective.