An essential thing to master in the game of poker is getting a working pre-flop strategy. The biggest mistakes that poker amateurs make are related to this part of the game and that’s why you should read and remember these strategy tips, as they will help you win more money and lose less than all the other strategies combined.
The biggest mistake that beginners make is that they don’t have the patience to get a good hand and as such, they play way too many hands. In fact, this is a good indication of how good your adversaries are: on a table on which there are only good players, on an average hand, you should only see 20% to 30% of the players reaching the flop.
As such, in order to be successful in a many poker sites games, patience and discipline in the pre-flop part of the game are of utmost importance. Before calling the pre-flop bet, you should know that if you didn’t pay a blind, it means that you lose absolutely nothing if you fold so unless you have a hand that can be a winner, don’t bother to go on. And even if you did pay a blind, it’s better to lose a small blind and wait for some good cards that will allow you to win far more than this.
The value of a hand is not absolute; you should always consider the number of players. When you have eight adversaries, it’s more likely that someone of them has a good hand than if you have just two opponents. That’s why, in games with higher numbers of players, you should always be more cautious, especially during the pre-flop period of the game.
Another thing that should change your strategy is your current bankroll. Always play more carefully when you are on a small bankroll, but you can be more aggressive and take more risks (which should also give you higher rewards) when you have a large bankroll.
Many players at Full Tilt Poker don’t think about this, but your table position is important as well, as players in late position can influence more the than people in early position, because they already see what the others bet. That’s why it’s advisable that you play only very good hands if you are in early position, good and acceptable hands in middle position (depending on what the others bet), while players in late position can play weaker hands without fear, if no one else raised much the bet before them.