At the beginning of my poker journey, I clearly remember having a deeply ingrained belief that winning at poker was reserved for an elite, for players with innate talent.
Then, I realized that this wasn't the case and that with practice, discipline, and hard work, anyone can become a winning player.
So, if you're wondering if there's really strategy in poker, the answer is yes.
<span class="inarticle_section">🔮 Start small, be disciplined, and you'll see that winning at poker isn't magic; it's simply the result of hard work.</span>
Here are 7 strategies that every poker player can easily implement to start with.
Many beginners get carried away by the excitement of the game and tend to play too many hands preflop, which is a costly mistake. In fact, it may even be the most costly mistake of all.
Not all poker hands are worth playing. You need to reduce the number of hands you choose to play and select only those with potential in your current situation.
When selecting your preflop hands, position plays a crucial role. It's not just about the cards you have but also the position you're playing from that determines their value.
<span class="inarticle_section">➡️ In early position (like UTG), you need to significantly reduce the number of hands you enter the pot with, because being one of the first to act puts you in a very disadvantageous situation.</span>
Preflop ranges are valuable guides that tell you which hands to play based on your position at the table. By studying these charts, you'll avoid wasting chips on hands that are too weak.
One of the best decisions you can make is knowing when to fold. If you're unsure about your hand preflop, folding is often the best option. Many beginners enter the pot out of curiosity, but playing a hand that’s too weak will only lead to complicated situations after the flop.
Many people think that once you reach a certain level, the game becomes more complex, and you need to constantly bluff or play in a complicated way to win. But the reality is that playing in a simple, ABC way remains a highly effective strategy.
Focus on the essentials: play good hands and maximize your winnings when you have a strong hand.
The key to ABC Poker is always betting when you think you have the best hand (value bet).
It may seem obvious, but many hesitate to value bet for fear of scaring off their opponents. The truth is, a value bet, even a big one, will allow you to get the most out of your strong hands and gradually build your stack.
<span class="inarticle_section">➡️ Against beginner players, this simple approach is extremely effective: play good hands, bet when you have a high chance of winning, and accumulate chips.</span>
Poker is primarily about patience. It may be tempting to think that playing "simply" doesn’t work after a series of bad hands, but you shouldn’t let yourself be distracted. Stick to your strategy, because in the long run, it’s what will make you win.
<span class="inarticle_section">🧘🏻 Don’t let a series of losing hands push you to play impulsively or make unjustified decisions.</span>
Even with an excellent strategy, poker remains a game of variance. Sometimes, even when playing perfectly, you will lose, and that's completely normal. Poker is a game of small edges, and it’s over the long term that these small edges accumulate to create profitability.
It is important to understand that results are not measured over a handful of hands but over thousands of hands. It’s not one or two sessions that define your level of play, but the sum of your decisions over the long term. Leave aside short-term frustrations and focus on the consistent application of your strategy.
<span class="inarticle_section">ℹ️ A downswing in poker refers to a prolonged period of losses that can last for several days or even weeks.</span>
Downswings are part of the game, even for the best players. When variance isn’t on your side, it’s easy to panic and doubt your skills. However, going through several losing sessions in a row is completely normal, even for a good poker player.
Stay calm, keep playing in a disciplined manner, and remember that every player goes through similar phases. Don’t alter your game out of frustration, as that’s exactly what variance is trying to make you do.
One of the keys to handling these periods is having good bankroll management.
Limping, which means entering a pot by simply calling the big blind without raising, is often a sign of weakness and thus a less effective strategy. However, many beginners tend to limp to see cheap flops.
One of the biggest dangers of limping is ending up with hands dominated by better hands in a pot with many players against you. You then expose yourself to tricky post-flop situations without clear information on the strength of your hand compared to your opponents.
Unless you have a specific reason to limp (such as a speculative hand in a multi-way pot with good implied odds), raising or folding is usually a better approach.
For a more in-depth analysis of limping, you can check out our article dedicated to this topic.
To avoid limping unnecessarily, study preflop ranges and understand when it’s appropriate to raise, even with mediocre hands. By raising, you put pressure on your opponents and take the initiative, a major strategic asset in poker.
<span class="inarticle_section">☝🏼 Always remember that it’s better to play fewer raised hands than many limped hands.</span>
Aggression in poker is a powerful weapon, but it must be used intelligently. Playing aggressively doesn’t mean betting recklessly but rather using aggression in a calculated way to put pressure on your opponents and take control of the hands.
The semi-bluff is one of the most powerful techniques for an aggressive player.
Unlike a pure bluff, where you bet with no equity, a semi-bluff involves betting or raising with a hand that isn’t yet made but has the potential to improve, such as a flush or straight draw. The idea is simple: even if your opponent calls, you still have a reasonable chance of hitting a winning hand on the turn or river.
<span class="inarticle_section">2️⃣ This type of strategy allows you to win in two ways: either your opponent folds immediately, and you take the pot, or you improve your hand and win a bigger pot.</span>
Aggression must be balanced. If you are aggressive in every hand, you’ll become predictable, and your opponents will know that you often bet without a strong hand. The key is to mix up your play and choose your spots of aggression carefully.
Position is one of the most important concepts in poker. Contrary to what one might think, even the best poker players struggle to win chips when playing out of position (i.e., being one of the first to act).
When you’re in a late position, you have more information.
This way, you can see how your opponents act before playing your hand, giving you a crucial advantage. This allows you to bet when your opponents show weakness, control the pot size more easily, and execute more effective bluffs.
The difference between playing in early and late positions is not to be underestimated:
An often overlooked aspect by poker players is game selection.
Many players underestimate the importance of this strategy and end up playing against opponents who are better than them, which significantly reduces their chances of winning.
In Cash Games, the idea is to find tables where players make more mistakes: those who play too many hands, call too often, or lack aggression. Observing before sitting down can make a huge difference: spot the players with a lower skill level and prioritize those tables.
<span class="inarticle_section">🌐 This principle applies both to live games (in casinos, poker clubs, etc.) and online poker sites.</span>
In MTTs, choosing your tournaments is just as strategic: not all tournaments are equal.
Choose ones with fewer players, a larger proportion of recreational players, a favorable payout structure (avoid tournaments where only a small percentage of players get paid), and blind levels suited to your style of play.
No matter the format you play, avoiding overly competitive games is a golden rule.
Don’t engage in battles against other competent players; it’s not against them that you’ll make money. The key is to look for opportunities where your edge is greatest.
To wrap up this article, it's important to know that in poker, there is an optimal strategy: GTO (Game Theory Optimal).
This mathematical approach, calculated using specialized computer software, aims to play in a perfectly balanced way, making your actions impossible for opponents to exploit.
<span class="inarticle_section">❌ This means that, in the long term, it is mathematically impossible for your opponents to win money against you.</span>
However, GTO is not a one-size-fits-all solution for every context. Sticking to this strategy alone may cause you to "underperform" against less experienced players who make exploitable mistakes. The ideal approach is to master the principles of GTO while maintaining the ability to adjust your play to your opponents' specific weaknesses.
For more information, you can read our introductory article on this subject.
