Strategy
Texas Holdem Poker Cash Game Strategy
This strategy is optimized for beginners and is best played in low stake games. The bigger the stakes usually means the better or more experienced the players so it is best to start off playing low stakes.
There are a number of issues that must be considered before playing a Texas Holdem cash game.
Table choice
When choosing which table to play at, you should analyze it from every angle to make sure it is suited to you. For example if there is a player at the table with a big amount behind them, then it’s probably best to find a different table. Why? Lets say for example you are playing $0.05/$0.10 or around this amount, when you join a table you are given the option of how much you want to take out of your account to play with, usually around $5. If there is a player with around $40 you may assume that he is a good player and may have more experience than the rest of the table. Ideally you want to find a table where everybody has roughly the same amount. Obviously there are going to be one or two players with bigger amounts, but if it seems unusually big, leave them to it and find another table.
Also it’s probably best to find a table where the play is relatively loose. A tight table may be too hard to cash in on.
Patience
Some players may have no patience and as a result make stupid bets for the sake of some action. If you are like this then I would not recommend you play cash games. Eventually you will be departed from your money. You must be willing to wait for playable hands. You must also be prepared to fold and stay away from action if you don’t have the best hand and others have bet big or raised.
Lack of patience is also a tell in cash games. If somebody sits down and posts the big blind straight away you can assume that they lack patience. A lack of patience is also linked to loose play. Impatient players don’t like waiting for good hands to play. They try hit good hands on the flop. Bottom line, have patience!
Discipline
Discipline in cash games is key. A disciplined player is a player that will fold on a good hand when they know they are beat after putting a lot into the pot. We have all been in the situation where we have a nice hand and we feel we are ahead. Flop is insignificant, at least we think so. However after the turn the community cards as well as big bets and raises, are telling us that there is a good chance that we are beat but we stay in and call anyway. Then the river card backs up this feeling of insecurity. But we still bet. When the cards are turned on their backs, we find out we never had the best hand, but we could have folded on the turn and the river. But we bet because we didn’t have the discipline. Discipline here would have saved us a nice bit of cash.
Strategy
Cash game strategy can be more complex than any other type of Texas Holdem game. With Texas Holdem Tournament strategies, it is easy to lay out a strategy based on early, middle and late stages and stick to it. With a cash game however, there is no early, middle or late stage. You may sit down and play one hand then leave so strategy in this type of game tends to much different. As described above, it is best to find a table nowhere play is relatively loose as with tight games it may be too hard to cash in. When you have fount the table that suits you take a seat. Don’t be too eager to post the big blind and start playing immediately, wait for the big blind to get to you and observe the other players at the table. Scan for tells and weaknesses. When the big blind gets to you its time to play.
As a general rule you want to play loose and beware of traps. In cash games good players will look to slow play good hands and trap other player. You should also apply this strategy. Don’t let superior hands go to waste. You should play passive and let others bet into you. As the pot gets bigger they will want to stay in the play and will call bigger bets to try win. So as the turn and the river hit the board, increase your bets enough that they will call. Eventually they may even try bluffing you out of the hand which will just build the pot for you.
Pre flop Play
Try to see as many flops as you can. But don’t pay to see the flop with a rubbish hand. All rubbish hands you obviously want to fold straight away. But with medium hands i.e. a hand with a point value of 24+ on the Hutchison Point Count System, you want to see the flop when it is cheap. In an early position only bet big blind with a medium to good hand and only if you feel nobody will raise. In a late position it is wise to only call if there are no raises. With a strong hand i.e. a hand with a point value of 30+ on the Hutchison Point Count System , you should not be afraid to call a small raise in certain circumstances. In an early position, it may be best to just bet big blind, or call the same. If there is a small raise, call only if everybody or almost everybody else folds. You will have a good chance of winning and it doesn’t cost that much to see the flop. If a number of players call the raise, consider folding. The size of the raise should influence your decision. If it is really small and a few players call, maybe you should too. But if the raise is substantial enough to force everybody else to fold but isn’t that much to call, then call. If you are in a late position and play has been called or checked to you, then maybe placing a small raise may see everybody with drawing hands forced out. If a number of people call this will show that there are a few players with hands of similar strength to you in the hand and you should play cautiously. Starting hands with a point value of 34+ on the Hutchison Point Count System should be played more aggressively. With a hand of this strength I would call any raises or I would raise from any position. If you slow play for too long you run the risk being beat by drawing hands if all the community cards hit the board so it’s best to force these guys early. Maybe slow playing before and after the flop, if the game remains relatively passive may be okay, but after the turn it up and put in them big bets.
As a general rule you should avoid playing very tight. When you hit a big hand and start to bet, you will be left to settle for the blinds as nobody will want to take the chance with a tight player. They will have established that you are waiting for big hands. So its best to see the flop whenever you can provided your hand isn’t rubbish and you’re not throwing away your cash with crazy calls.
Play after the flop
Post-flop play should be very cautious. Always keep an eye out for flush draws or straight draws. If there are many players to see the flop if there is a flush draw or straight draw, there is a good chance somebody could make it. Also beware of big cards on the board, especially if there are many players to see the flop. For the following scenarios please assume the above point counts for medium, strong and premium hands. Okay, so pre flop you played with a medium hand and you paid a small price to see the flop. How does it look? Generally if you pay a small amount to see the flop with a medium hand and post-flop you still don’t have very much, look to fold. Of course if you have the opportunity to check, why not! If you make a small pair looks out for over cards. If you make top pair play it cautiously. Remember, if there are still a few players in the hand there is a chance they may have a big pair also or a flush or straight draw. With a small hand bottom line is to play defensive, if you have nothing, fold. If you are in a late position and there are no raises and you have top pair, then maybe an average bet to steal the blinds may be appropriate. Look out for players trying to trap you though. If before the flop you hold a good hand and after the flop you still have a strong hand or the flop improves your hand, look to raise if you are in a late position. In an early position you should probably bet a little, but don’t bet an amount that you may fold on if you are re-raised. To prevent this from happening, let’s say you have a pair of 10s and the flop shown A-7-J, maybe in an early position call or check. These are big scare cards. This is the dilemma of playing aggressive in an early position. Others may match that aggression.
If after the flop the strength of your hand increases significantly, to a premium hand or your premium hand remains premium, for example top pair with AA,KK,QQ, or bigger play aggressive from any position. You can also slow play a little and try milk more players if you are confident enough with your hand but watch out for those flush draws or straight draws and over cards.
Play after the turn
This is usually where those flush draws and straight draws are complete so be careful here. At this point of the game you should not still be playing if you have a low hand. You are just throwing your cash away. By this stage you should know where you stand at the table. I wouldn’t recommend playing the turn if you don’t have a premium hand or at least a top hand when you take the community cards into consideration. If you were ahead pre-turn, but not by much you should have taken the pot with a solid raise. The turn or the river yet to come may very well disrupt your path to the pot. So let’s say you had a medium hand and you just limped into the turn using your late position, if you don’t make your hand here look to fold, unless again you can call big blind or check. But even calling here with nothing may be throwing your cash away. Also if you had a strong starting hand but the flop didn’t help you much and now the river doesn’t help you much either, have the discipline to fold if there are raises, which at this stage of the hand there usually will be. Play here will turn aggressive. Some will try to steal the pot whereas others will take the pot with a premium hand. Passive play here will be punished. This said, if your hand is still premium, or has been made premium by the flop and the turn, play aggressively and punish passive players that try to see the river for cheap.
If you have a strong hand but are unsure if you have the best hand, play your position well. Play defensively in an early position and play aggressively in a late position if there are no raises. The community cards have a lot of influence here. Also your ability to spot tells and characterize a player will help you here. This will help you avoid being trapped. If you raise from a late position and somebody calls quickly, you are in a bad position.
Play on the river
The only time I would intentionally play right to the river and look to finish it there is if I had a monster hand and was looking to slow play my hand. In all other circumstances I would play aggressively after the flop and turn. After the flop play will usually get aggressive and it will cost to see the turn and the river. I will assume that at this stage you haven’t called a big bet or raise with low cards and that you have a pretty good hand here. Maybe you are slow playing or maybe your big bet was called, or you called an opponents big bet in a late position, or maybe play was reasonably passive to this point. Either way, you must play aggressively on the river. As with the turn, play will get aggressive and passive play at this point will be punished. The only time I would fold on the river is if the river card is high or it is an over card and it triggers your opponent to play in a more aggressive manner than they usually would. Those who are prone to bluff regularly may try to bluff you here, especially if a high card is shown. I would look to call a bluffer but I may fold to somebody that seems to play a tight game and that could have me beat with this river card. The frequency of this occurring is rare however, so with the turn and the river on useful piece of advice I will give is to play consistently. A big raise on the turn with a timid bet on the river could show weakness. On the other hand, a small bet on the turn with a big bet on the river may look like a bluff. In conclusion, when playing a cash game, be willing to adopt and adjust your strategy after every community card hits the board. Have the patience to wait on big hands and play them well when you get them. Don’t get overenthusiastic. Finally, have the discipline to lay down a good hand when you just know you are beat. There is nothing worse than a bad beat, but nobody owes you anything. Don’t think that because you are being patient and playing good poker that you deserve to win when them good hands are dealt to you. When the community cards hit the board and you begin to see that there are so many ways that you can be beat, and it only gets worse with the turn and the river, if you don’t learn to lay these hands face down, the only thing you will learn is how to make other players pockets get bigger with your precious cash.