Betting Poker Strategy

Expert's Advice from Chris Ferguson

Take some notes the question might be yours:

Question: How do you become big stack at a table?

Answer: You become a big stack simply by playing good poker. You never want to seek to become a big stack. Just play solid, and if you are lucky, you will soon find a big stack in front of you.

Question: As an amateur player at a major tournament, should you play tight or aggressive?

Answer: It's important for amateurs to play tight and fold frequently. Since they have less experience than their opponents, they must lay down their marginal hands. It's also important for amateurs to play aggressively and raise frequently. This is important because amateurs should put their opponents to the test. All players should play tight and aggressively, but in particular, amateurs should. This means raising more hands and folding more hands. Obviously this means calling a lot less often.

Question: What is the best way for a novice to learn poker?

Answer: There are a lot of good books out there to learn from these days. Studying poker away from the table is very important to success, and it's something I love to do as much as play poker. You need to think critically about your own game. Ask yourself "How would I play against someone who plays like me?" Always look for holes in your own game. Also look for holes in your opponents' games. Think about how to exploit your opponents, and then implement these plans. Another way to improve is to talk to peers who you respect about poker. The best way to learn is to listen to your peers and to teach them.

Question: In the beginning of a tournament when the blinds are low, what kind of bets or raises should you be making with pocket pairs?

Answer: You should make the same raises you would with other types of hands you raise with. It's important not to telegraph the strength of your hand with the size of your raise. Fold small pairs from early position. Otherwise raise it to about two and a half to three times the big blind if you are the first to enter the pot.

Question: How often should you chase straights and flushes?

Answer: This is one of the toughest decisions in poker. If you feel you are getting the right odds to chase, by all means chase. In multi-way pots in particular, be leery of chasing to catch a flush or straight that is not the nuts. Always keep in mind that if you are thinking of folding or calling, these hands make great semi-bluffing hands, so occasionally put in a raise instead.

Question: How do you play low suited?

Answer: Fold! These hands sometimes look good, but they tend to be losers in the tougher games. Occasionally you can try to steal a raise with these hands or call a small raise from the big blind, but generally they should be folded.

Question: How do you know when to bluff and when not to?

Answer: To bluff, you want a hand that can't win by checking it down; otherwise it is best to do just that. The other thing you want is for your opponent to believe that you could have a very strong hand. The more it looks like the flop, turn, and river hit you the more often you should bluff with your weakest hands.