Pocket Faces
I try to make it a rule of thumb when I play poker to bet almost every time I enter the pot, but that only works if you’re dedicated to tighter play. If you want to be a bit less choosy with your hole cards, coming out betting might be an expensive proposition. If you’ve got a 7-8 unsuited and you’re hoping beyond hope that you’ll draw a great flop (not a good idea to begin with), you may not want to start out betting. On the other hand, there are some situations where you’ll almost always want to come out firing at the casino. A high pocket hand, Aces through 10’s is one of those situations where it’s always a good idea to raise into the hand.
Pocket Aces through 10’s. If you’ve got pocket Aces, Kings, Queens, Jacks, or 10’s, then you’re probably ahead of your opponents at this point, so feel free to bet into the hand. If somebody raises ahead of you and you’ve got pocket Aces through Queens, go ahead and reraise them. Putting pressure on lesser hands with raises like these will force lesser hands to fold and minimize your chances of someone drawing out on you, and it’ll fatten the pot for you, since you’ve got a higher expectation of winning. Try it at your next online poker game.
