Top 5 Poker Plays
We all play poker in basically the same manner - choosing what hands to play and which ones to fold; how to bet/raise in certain situations; whether to be passive or aggressive, but there are certain maneuvers that experienced players will make to get an edge on their opponents. When you make any of the top poker plays in the right situation, you can take advantage of great opportunities to boost your chip stack, with or without a real hand to back it up.
These are titles and descriptions the top poker plays in Texas Hold’em and most of poker variations. You can also read about fixing bankroll leaks which should also help to improve your game. You can use these strategies coupled with a referral code for Absolute Poker to increase your bankroll.
Block Bet: The block bet is a small bet made by a player who is in early position to stop a late position player from making a larger bet. The block bet can be used at any time in a hand, pre-flop to the river, but is most often used towards the end. Let’s say three players are in the pot after the river card. The first player checks. You, the second player to act, know that if you check, the final player will toss a large bet into the pot. Instead of allowing this to happen, forcing you to either call the large bet or fold, you place a smaller bet that the following player is more likely to call rather than raise. About 1/3 is a good size for the block bet.
Continuation Bet: Continuation bets, also known as a C-Bet, are made when you’ve fired a cannon on the previous play, but missed your draw. You have two options - fold out and let everyone know you were either bluffing or completely missed, or make a continuation bet to let everyone know you’re confident in your holdings. The continuation bet will often get a fold from other players who decide you really did hit your draw and their hand isn’t strong enough to contend.
Float: A successful float play involves calling a reasonable bet after the flop, then raising to a check on the turn. The float is great against advanced players who are making a continuation bet on the flop, since more often than not they didn’t hit anyway. When you call that bet, it gives your opponent a little fear that maybe you did hit, when they didn’t. So they check on the turn, you raise, they fold; the hand is over before the river.
Check/Raise: The check/raise is simple. You check when the option is available, then when your opponent bets, you place a large raise. This is a very popular top poker play that experienced players use to increase the size of the pot before taking it down.
Stealing the Blinds: Blind sweeping is a basic strategy, but still highly effective for keeping your stack at a nice level when your insta-folding hand after hand. Stealing blinds becomes very valuable in the middle and latter stages of a tournament, when the blinds get to a decent level. To steal the blinds, a few things have to fall into place. You need to be in late position. You need all early and middle position bettors to fold, aside from one or two limpers at most. Place a raise of about 3x to 4x the pot size and everyone usually folds.
