Poker Tips

Introduction

This little guy might not be pure nuts, but he's certainly carrying some big ones!

 The starting point for any poker game is, in effect, the bet required from all the players before the hand can start – the ante. Although some players will play without an ante, such games really lack the whole essence of poker with there being nothing to really go for. However, if you should find yourself in such a game without an ante, simply wait for the best possible hand to arise in a pot and strike. Or, if you prefer, just wait for the pure nuts! The problem here is that everyone will be looking for the pure nuts which really mans there is no game – everyone folding as soon as someone did bet.

Where to pitch the ante?

This guy is pitching the ante way to high!

 So, without an ante you’re not really in a game of poker, at least not in one really worth playing. For a serious poker player the same would be true for ridiculously low antes, there’s really no risk so you’re not really being invited to apply any skill to the game. Of the course the same would be true in a similar way if someone threw in an ante way above the average. Then everyone would simply hang on the very last, even with a poor hand, in the hope of making a killing by someone else making a mistake. Imagine a $100 thrown into what was a $5 ante game; you could immediately make a 21:1 bonus out of it. So, the first thing to appreciate is that a low or high ante is simply relative to the players you’re with. Some tables a $20 ante could be high, to others really low. But the fact of the matter is you should be able to win more often with a higher ante than a lower one. The lower the ante is compared to the future bets – the fewer hands you should play. The reason for this is that with a low ante you need to have a great hand to start with, to have any chance of winning the pot. Whereas with a higher ante, you’ll have more room for maneuvering later on in the hand. The consequence of this is that with a low ante you need to play really tight, but with a higher ante you can afford to play looser. The question going through your mind now should be – OK, so how should I know if the ante is low or high? A simple rule of thumb here will be to say if the ante is around 5% of the average future bets – it’s a low ante. However, if the ante is around 15% of the average bets – it’s a large ante. Following on from that, anything in between at around 10% of the average bets is simply an average ante.

Blinds as an ante

 Of course the ante isn’t the only thing that can affect the size of the initial pot. Especially in a game like the ever popular Texas Hold ‘em there might be a forced bet that must be made before anyone sees their cards and before the actual first round of betting can take place. Each time there’s a new deal the Blind position(s) rotate around the table, but whoever it falls on – they are said to be “in the blind”.  The net result of this is that as a bet is being made ahead of cards actually being played or other bets being placed, a Blind is in effect a type of ante.

Playing with large antes

I asked graphics for a picture of large antes - not large aunties!

 It should be an obvious fact that the bigger the ante compared to later bets the more money there’ll be in the pot, so the better the odds you’ll be looking at. With those better odds you’ll have the license play loosely. Playing loosely is important because otherwise if you sit and wait for a really good hand to come your way you’ll probably already have lost more than what’s in the antes pot, before winning a pot. Also, there’s the added risk that those pots could be small as experienced players will see you playing tight and won’t roll with you when you do get a good hand. This playing tight effect by others could work in your favor should you spot an opponent doing it. The looser you play could encourage someone else to play tight in high ante games, as the ante rises further they will continue to play tighter and tighter – giving you the opportunity to steal antes. You never know your luck, with the right hand, after stealing a few antes; they might even resort to calling your raises.

Playing with small antes

I think we'll be seeing her bluff any second now!

 This is when you simply must tighten up your game. The general rules for playing small antes are to play fewer hands, which subsequently means you’ll have fewer opportunities to steal antes but by slow-playing the bigger hands that come along – you’ll certainly draw people in. So, playing tight in small ante games will let you occasionally steal antes. However, knowing the players you’re up against can be crucial here as if you’re called or re-raised by other players that you have been spotted as playing tight – they will win the hand as they will be holding big hands; but perhaps more importantly, they’ve spotted your bluff so you’ll need to develop a new strategy to continue playing! So, in games like Texas Hold ‘em if your hand hasn’t improved on Fourth Street – don’t continue calling. The opposite point of view to this is, of course, by letting aggressive players win and steal the antes; they’ll start to think they’re controlling the game. When, by the law of averages, you start getting good hands you will win back those antes and probably much more too.