Popular Poker Strategy

In the initial stage, the player plays tight. Monster hands are AA, QQ, KK, AKs, AKo pairs. If you have any one of them, you are allowed to raise to 3xBB from any position. AA is the best, and unless the flop shows a flush, you can bet. KK and QQs are also equally good. All three are best suited for small pots. Medium hands are AQo, JJ and AQs. They are the second best to win with, after monster hands. With them, you can raise 3x. 22, 33, 44, 55, 66, 77, 88, 99, 1010 are trapping hands. They are perfect for sit-and-go games. They allow a small raise up to 3BB. In the initial stage, the pot is too small to steal, so your strategy should be to double up and dominate the table.

The middle stage is when you have played 50 to 100 blinds. In this stage, you can become a little aggressive. Raise up to 3BB to either gain control of the pot or to steal the blind. Since you have been playing tight in the initial stage, players will expect you to continue, so you can steal some pots by playing loose. This is possible when you have a hand like any Ax, any connector or any pocket pair as they can sustain few calls.

In the final stage, aggression is all you need. By now, you must be aware of your opposition's strategy, strengths and weaknesses. You won't see flop 66% of the time. Thus, it's ok if you miss the flop when you have already raised, and your opponent is trying a bluff.