Texas Holdem Games
Tips and Strategy

Pre flop Strategy

Texas Holdem is a game full of strategy. Right from the moment the players are dealt with the cards till the last hand of the game, the players need to have a good strategy to win the game. Hence it is extremely important to have a good strategy right from the beginning. Players have various strategies for different stages of the game. Pre-flop is the first stage where players need to have a good strategy. If the game starts well then there is a good chance of bagging the pot. An effective pre-flop strategy should be based on the following points.

The number or players in the game
If there are a large number of players in the game then it is wiser to be cautious. More number of players means higher chances of someone else having a better hand that would fit the flop much better than yours.

The ability and skill of the opponents
If the other players in the game are equally good or better than you then you can play a bit tighter. If a player keeps raising at every hand during the pre-flop then you should let him win the blinds and take him down when you have a good hand in the pre-flop pocket.

The money you have with you
If you don’t have much in your bankroll then it is better to play very carefully and wait for the right opportunity when maximum players are involved for a higher pot. On the other hand, if you have a good amount in your bankroll then you can take some risk and bet accordingly.

It is always better to calculate your pre-flop odds based on the cards that you have. You can have a combination of suited or unsuited cards in sequence or random. Depending on the rarity and probability of getting those hand combinations, the odds are calculated. The lesser the probability of having a particular hand, the better is the hand. The odds can be calculated either mentally or by using a poker odds calculator available on the internet.

Below is a chart explaining the pre-flop odds.