SlotsofVegas.com is home to the most popular online table games ever created. And of these popular games, the clear leader is Texas Hold’em poker. With so many of our members grabbing seats at these games, we want to make sure that they get as much out of the game as possible. So, here are 5 tips from the pros on how to play Texas Hold’em as well as they do.
- Know all possible combinations
This may be one of the most difficult things to master, but once you have every single possible combination memorized, you’ll be able to quickly determine which combinations you can make with the cards in your hands. You will then learn when to fold, bet, call, or go all in, for each possible hand.
- Never bet more than you can afford to lose
You should never wager more than you can afford to lose with any game of chance. But, because Texas Hold’em is famous for its high stakes, this tip can be extremely useful to you when the temptation to place a bet on a bad hand arises. Never bet the rent money, the house, or your life’s savings in a card game. Always pre-determine what you can afford to live without, stick to that amount, and walk away when you’ve reached your limit.
One way to be sure you won’t accidentally pass your point of no return is to only gamble with what you win at the table. Once you are in the plus, use that money to continue gambling, and only use your own money when absolutely necessary.
- Never underestimate your opponents
Your opponents are sizing you up so you should do the same. Keep in mind that just because they appear one way doesn’t mean that you’ve got the whole picture. Never look across the table at a grandma and assume that she can’t take you down with a high hand. In fact, some of the biggest wins in Texas Hold’em history were scooped up by very young poker players nobody had ever heard of before.
In online poker tournaments, you can never really tell anything about a player by their casino name. Just because someone has a ridiculous player name like pink_unicorn_69, doesn’t mean they are clueless. They might be the devil in disguise. Also, tournaments attract hundreds or even thousands of players, so it is difficult to learn much of anything about them.
- Learn how to bluff
Practicing your poker face in the mirror might help if you were playing at a land based casino, but when you play online, bluffing becomes a bit harder than that. Unless you’re playing in a live virtual casino, you can’t see your opponent’s face—but they can’t see your face either. This means you need to follow the other players’ betting patterns and styles in order to discover when they are bluffing. You can disguise your own actions while you’re playing poker online by shaking things up once in a while; your moves become your only tool to bluff with here.
- Keep ‘em guessing
If you keep your opponents off kilter, you have a better chance to confuse the hell out of them. Don’t underestimate your opponent, but you can get them to underestimate you with a few practiced skills. Vary your bets, and don’t always bet huge amounts when you have strong hands. This is an obvious tell which will lead to mass folding, and lower pots to win. The skilled poker pro knows how to lead their opponents down the path to ruin gently.
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Slots of Vegas features Texas Hold’em Bonus Poker, where you play solo against the dealer. This is a great way to practice your poker skills, learn the finer points of the game, and become a better poker player. Play for free first, then when you’re ready, you can play Texas Hold’em online for real money at Slots of Vegas. Have fun and good luck!