Tue, 08/16/2011 – 10:21 – PokerPages Staff

As a beginner poker player, bet sizing can be one of the hardest aspects of the game to get to grips with. In order to win as well as you can, you need to be able to place good bets. It’s an important aspect to all types of no limit poker.

When placing bets, you need to think of them in relation to how big the pot currently is. This is due to the fact that your poker bets will dictate what your opponent’s pot odds are. If they then call with incorrect odds, you make a profit.

The general rule is if you have a good hand and think that the other players have bad hands you should bet about ¾ of the pot. This is because by doing so you give your opponents wrong pot odds, which means you win more money.

It’s not advantageous to bet half the pot or less, because a weak bet usually means that you lose value on your hands and risk being outdrawn by the other players. However, if you think that this won’t happen and that your opponents will call a smaller bet, you can risk it.

A major mistake, which can be made by a beginner poker player, is making minimum bets and raises. If you do this before a flop, most players will call you. It’s always safer to make strong bets or just not bet.

For more advice visit PokerSchoolOnline – the Internet’s #1 poker education website. Or, to put your betting skills to the test for free, go to PokerStars.net.

Thu, 08/11/2011 – 23:54 – PokerPages Staff

When you start out as a beginner poker player, it’s especially important to know as much about your opponents as possible. Read on to find out the main types of player you’ll be betting against.

Loose/Aggressive players

These players play a lot of hands. After or before a flop, they’re more than willing to raise bets and it’s hard to bluff against them. They tend to win a lot of small pots but if your hand’s strong, they’ll generally lose.

Loose/Passive players

A loose, passive player is renowned for playing basically any hand. Whatever their two cards, they’ll call right up to the river and tend to lose out, due to overplaying half a hand. Nicknamed ‘calling stations’, it’s easy to win money off them due to their betting style.

Tight/Aggressive players

Regarded as the best type, they play with the best starting hand and will raise bets in order to make the most money from the hand they have. If the odds are not in their favor, they tend to simply fold. A good tip: don’t try and bluff against these players.

Tight/Passive players

A tight passive player only plays when they possess a good hand. They don’t tend to know what to do on or after a flop. They definitely don’t take any risks with their poker bets and will usually check, as opposed to raise. They can do well against weak players but not strong ones.

Want to learn more? Visit PokerSchoolOnline – the premier poker education site. To test out your player identification skills, play for free at PokerStars.net.