Some Basic Tips for No-Limit Poker Strategy
No-Limit Cash Tables.....
...with 10 seats are to be approached with a lot of caution. Only super-solid play will prevail over the action of the hot-shots who take many risks. Don't get caught up in this very aggressive playing style and simply wait for your monster hand to make some good money.
...with 5 or 6 seats are called short-handed tables and are better in our opinion. Although the blinds go around quicker, the benefit to play there is that you can lower your calling requirements for the starting hands and the value of your hands increase significantly. However, beware of getting to loose or ambitious because lots of aggressive action, moves and most of all bluffing is going there. So be careful but stand your ground with good cards.
How much money to take to the table
There are 2 different approaches depending on your playing style and experience.
In general we can say that if your style is rather conservative or tight then you should take the maximum amount possible to the table, which is usually 100x the Big Blind (BB), because you won’t take huge risks that may potentially lose you all your money; but when you’re holding a monster you want to be able to win as much money as possible.
On the opposite, if you like to play more pots and possess a more aggressive style then you should only take an amount of about 25x the BB to the table since you are prepared to take more risks than a conservative player and if you do decide to go All-in, you don’t put a huge amount of money at stake (and can reload from your account balance if you lost that hand).
Patience
“Nothing human matures without the virtue of patience.” Those words by Romano Guardini are very true in poker, especially in cash games. Some people find it tedious to stay patient for too long and want some action. That’s ok, but it usually costs them money. And that’s ok for you because those players will pay you for having stayed patient when you hit a strong hand! Of course, different styles – different game, but if you can employ patience into your game it will pay you well in the long run.
"I Shot the Sheriff" - so don't act like a Sheriff
If you go around all the time trying to prove that people are bluffing or overbetting with weak holdings then your "obsession with justice" will cost you a lot of money. Therefore, let them guys do whatever they like - it's none of your business.... but you make it your business when you have hit a monster hand.
Avoiding to go "on tilt"
Since one can bet any amount at any time in No-Limit Poker, you can potentially double your cash as well as losing it all in one single hand. Quite a number of players tend to go "on tilt" meaning that they lost emotional balance when they suffered a couple of Bad Beats, which lost them quite some money, and so they start to play irrationally. If you have such a player at your table - stick around and pick up the money he's throwing around; if you are having a bad run - be smart and don't go down that road. Log out of the poker software, take a break to cool off a bit, and even call it a day for that day.
It's one of the hardest things to learn in poker to leave the table when things go wrong for you. Take your time to reflect on what happened and be glad that you didn't burn even more money. To accomplish that mental skill is crucial. Next time you go back to the tables your cards will come and so will the money.
If you are new at No Limit Poker, you may want to choose a poker website where the competition for No Limit Poker is softer than usual. That said, you may not want to go play at Full Tilt because there are lots of pros around there, especially at the higher levels (read our Full Tilt Poker Review here).
On the other hand, a room like Power Poker not only has lots of NL cash games tables to choose from, but is also one of the "fishiest" websites out there. Please click ere to go to Power Poker, and use bonus code TRPOWER to sign up with a $600 welcome bonus.
But if you are able to play at Party Poker (meaning you are not based in the US), then you should try their No Limit tables. This is a poker website which has a stronger focus on Fixed Limit cash games, so the existing player do not have too much experience in No Limit which makes playing at the No Limit cash game tables more profitable for you. Click here to visit Party Poker now and use bonus code PTRYNEWS to get the deposit bonus of up to $500.