No Limit Hold Em Cash Game Strategy
Posted : admin On 3/27/2022The one caveat to all these strategy tips is that in no limit hold 'em, there are no absolutes. Certain situations will require you to deviate from the optimal strategy that was given above. Avoid bloating the pot with medium-strength hands. Use them to bluff-catch. Medium strength.
There are common mistakes that no limit hold’ em poker players commit that cost them money. The list of 10 Common No Limit Hold’ Em mistakes below is not strictly geared towards the beginning poker player. If you find yourself in a downswing, it may not be just variance. Take a look at the list below to be sure you plug up any leaks.
1. Playing marginal hands out of position
Unless you are a solid post flop player, you risk getting into trouble by playing marginal hands out of position. Say you raise KJo under the gun. It folds around to the button who re-raises and you call. Flop comes AK6 rainbow.
The good news is that you hit your hand. Bad news, he may have hit his too, but he likely hit it harder than you. You showed strength raising from early position and he still re-raised pre-flop. Again, unless you are a skilled post-flop player, you stand to lose a lot of money in these situations. See our starting hands chart for an example range of hands that are playable in each table position.
2. Lack of pre-flop aggression
About half the time you put money into the pot, it should be by way of a raise. For instance, if you put money into the pot in 30% of all hands played, then in half of those instances you should be raising.
If you are using PokerTracker, the two metrics you want to look at are VP$IP (voluntarily put money in pot) and PF Raise % (pre-flop raise percentage). Your VP$IP number should be twice your PF Raise %. In the example above, you should see VP$IP=30% and PF Raise % at least 15%.
3. Not charging speculative hands
If you raise QcQsin position pre-flop and are called by the BB. The flop comes 6h4h2d. Flop is checked to you and you make a 1/2 pot continuation bet and get called. The turn is a 9c and it is checked to you again. The worst thing you can do in this spot is to check behind and give your opponent a free card to beat you.
You have a solid holding at this point and are likely ahead of your opponent. You are ahead of everything but a set a 53 (AA/KK as well, but unlikely). You should bet out here. If we assume he is on the flush draw, then he has roughly a 4:1 shot at making the flush with one card to come.
If you make a 1/2 pot sized bet here (say $10 into a $20 pot) then your opponent will be getting 3:1 odds from the pot. He will have to call $10 to win $30. It would be mathematically incorrect for your opponent to call here as his odds of winning is worse than the odds offered by the pot. See “Pot odds and how to calculate them.
Note: If your opponent thinks he can draw more money out of you on the river with his made flush (implied odds), then it makes his call correct. In that case you can bet more, 3/4 pot to compensate.
4. Inconsistent bet sizing
A big mistake that new players make is not keeping their bet sizes consistent. A classic example of this is betting low pocket pairs weaker than high pocket pairs. In order to disguise your hand you should keep your bet sizes consistent, say 3 or 4 times the big blind plus one BB per limper.
If you are at a table where you are raising 4xBB +1BB per limper and you consistently get 5 callers then feel free to increase your opening raise amount. You do not need to be consistent with your bet sizes if you can randomize your varying bet sizes. This will make it difficult for your opponent to know the meaning of your bet.
5. Not mixing up your play
Similar to the last point, if you only raise pre-flop with your premium hands (AA, KK, QQ, AK) then you are giving away too much information. To keep your opponent honest you should open up your range a bit, maybe AA-99 and AK-AJ. And/or add in some suited connectors 98s, 87s, etc. You don’t need to raise these add-in hands consistently, just enough to mix up your play.
In the example above, if you raise only super premium hands against someone who is using PokerTracker you will only see action when he has a premium hand too. He will see your PF Raise % is about 3% and he will know that you are very strong when you raise pre-flop, especially when out of position. He will only engage you when he is strong.
6. Bluffing calling stations
You can’t bluff someone who isn’t going to fold, so stop trying. If you are up against an opponent who rarely folds, don’t try to bluff them with complete air. Your hand needs to have some showdown value if you plan to proceed with aggression. If you are entering pots with solid starting hands, then you are likely to be ahead at showdown most of the time against these opponents.
7. Playing big pots with small hands
You should not be building the pot post flop with one pair hands. Say you raise pre-flop in position with JJ and are called. The flop come 963 rainbow and the pre-flop limp/caller bets into you. Proceed with caution. I would call and see what the turn brings. You can re-raise to see if they are bluffing, but if they call I would consider shutting it down. No need to build the pot any further with a one pair hand.
8. Poor bankroll management
In poker, you will experience winning streaks and losing streaks. If you are not properly bankrolled for the table stakes you are playing at, you risk going bust during a prolonged losing streak.
One great way to build your poker bankroll is with a poker room bonus and rakeback.
9. Not reviewing your play
Another big mistake that beginners and intermediate players alike make is not taking the time to review their play. There are tools like PokerTracker that allow you to see tons of detail about your play: how aggressive you are in different positions, do you protect your blinds, do you attempt to steal blinds sufficiently, are you overplaying top pair? This will allow you to learn from your mistakes.
You can also participate in peer review with some poker friends to get a different players perspective. You can send your online hand to us for posting in our hand analysis section and leave it to the wisdom of the community for help. .
10. Slow playing monsters
Don’t limp your premium hands. You can limp them on rare occasion to mix up your play, but as a general rule, raise them up. Say you are under the gun with AA and you limp. You get 4 more limpers and you are going to the flop 5 players deep! Do you like your chances?
If you are in late position with AA and it is limped around to you, raise it up to thin the crowd. You need to push out those small pocket pairs. Those small pocket pairs will stack you when they hit their set, or fold when you continuation bet the flop. So get them out now.
No Limit Texas Hold'em is the most popular poker game in the world, and it is played in both tournament and cash game form. This page links to strategy articles for No Limit Hold'em cash game players, although many of the principles can apply to No Limit Hold'em tournament strategy as well.
In case you don't know, cash games are the opposite of tournaments: instead of playing with tournament chips, players actually buy in with cash-value chips, and can enter and exit tables whenever they like. The goal at a ring table is to win chips consistently, as opposed to the goal in a tournament where players try to accumulate every single chip. The following No Limit Hold'em strategy articles will get you on top of your game:
General No Limit Hold'em Strategy:
Here are some articles that will teach you the basics of No Limit Hold'em:
No Limit Hold'em Cash Game Strategy
- No Limit Hold'em Tips - Read this article to get a quick overview of our best NL Hold'em tips.
- How to Spot Bluffs - Learn some quick tips on spotting opponents' bluffs.
- Buy-In Strategy - Find out if you're better off short-buying or deep stacking at NL Hold'em tables.
- Continuation Betting - The continuation bet may be the most important move in poker.
- Value Betting - Learn all about value betting, which is a great profit move to earn extra money.
- Double Barreling - Learn when you should double barrel on the turn, and when to give it up.
Playing Specific Hold'em Situations:
Also learn how to play specific No Limit Hold'em situations:
- Playing Big Pairs Preflop - Learn how to play Aces, Kings, and Queens in preflop situations.
- Playing Big Pairs on the Flop - Learn how to play Aces, Kings, and Queens on different flops.
- Playing Middle Pairs Preflop - Learn how to play 77-JJ in different preflop situations.
- Playing Middle Pair on the Flop - Playing a mediocre hand on the flop is tough - learn how here.
- Playing Small Pairs Preflop - Learn how to play 22-66 in different preflop situations.
- Playing Small Pairs on the Flop - Most people think small pairs are for making a set or folding.
- Playing Draws - Learn the best methods for playing flush, straight, and other combo draws.
- Making Sets on the Flop - Once you finally make a set on the flop, extract the most money.
- Playing Suited Connectors - Hands like 56s can be tough to play, but also win the largest pots.
Playing Specific Hold'em Opponents:
Now learn how to play against specific No Limit Hold'em opponents:
- Facing a Preflop Raiser - Calling a preflop raise puts you in a tough spot - learn how to deal.
- Playing Against a Maniac - We've all encountered maniacs at the tables. Now you can beat them.
No Limit Hold'em Rules
If you have never played Texas Hold'em before, make sure to read our article 'The Rules of Texas Hold'em' before you dive into the strategy articles. That page will teach you how to play the game, and will help new players understand the rules and structure of Texas Hold'em. After you learn the rules, then you can read the No Limit Hold'em strategy articles above to get some great tips for winning at the tables.
Playing Tight/Aggressive
The best and quickest way to improve your No Limit Hold'em strategy is by adopting a tight and aggressive approach at the tables. What this means is that you wait for solid hands, and then play then aggressively. This allows you to win the most money, because when the money goes in you will have a solid hand, and you also won't be pushed around by other aggressive players because they will respect your aggression.
Play Within Your Limits
Another simple way to avoid going broke is to always remember your bankroll, and make sure to stay within its limits. For No Limit Hold'em ring games, you should keep at least 50 buy-ins for the stakes you play in your account at all times. If you are a $0.50/$1 player, you should have $5,000 in your account to avoid going broke. This may seem excessive for casual online players, but players serious about maintaining a bankroll follow that advice.