Online Poker Betting - Betting before the flop

You are going to be folding a lot before the flop a lot. Even with the starting hand suggestions here (which in many ways are not appropriate for a higher limit game) you will be playing very few hands, especially in early position.

This is going to be very difficult.

Next to picking a table where most of the people are worse poker players than you, the most effective thing you can do is play well before the flop. Most of your opponents will not play well here. They will see the flop with cards that almost never win (you will see 7 2 in a showdown at one point or another during a game).

This pre-flop play is fairly easy to describe, and technically easy to do, but mentally it is very very difficult. It takes practice and it takes discipline and it takes patience.

Most poker books you read will suggest some rules for playing before the flop, usually with very good advice about starting cards and how to handle position, but then they move forward to whatever the next chapter is and you are already set up to fail because you just flat out won't be following those instructions.

Think About Your Starting Hands

Positionally the general rule is that you want to be as close to the last person to act as possible. The closer you are to that sweet spot (in Hold 'em the dealer button) the more information you will gain on every betting round before you have to act.

This information allows you to play your hand more effectively to maximize the amount you can win (or often more importantly minimize the amount you lose). The free card, for example, hinges upon you being in late position.

So, it may be helpful if your general plan is not to play any hands in early position, basically you are waiting to get within one or two of the dealer button to put your money into the game all the time.

If you make this your mantra then you will find yourself doing what is almost correct because we all know when you get AA under the gun you are going to play it regardless of what your general plan was (as you should) but when you get KT offsuit you'll easily throw it away because you aren't playing cards until you get close to the dealer button.

Another useful thing is to have something to fill time with between hands.