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When determining a suitable pre-flop strategy for your self you must take into consideration many things including your cards, positon, amount of players, and thier styles. If thier is a standard ten player table you will mostl likely want to play fairly tight. It is most likely someone has a better hand then you at a 10 player table. Also, you do not want to get tangled up in a large multi-player quarrel, because there chances of hitting a card are just as equal as yours. For instance if you go to a flop with 4 other players, you are actually a 4 to 1 dog. They are not all on a team, but they are all against you.
Position is another ally you should use wisely within your pre-flop strategy. The best positon to have is late, because you can see how your opponents act before you. By doing this you observing thier betting techniques, there strength gauge, and what style they have, and probaly can easily make a decision based on your own cards wheather to stay in the hand or not. Now what if you have aces in first position, then use it to your advantage, make a bet that will provoke antoher bet, preferably a smaller then usual. Although, if you will be called or raised depends on what type of player you are, and what type of player your opponent is. I reccommend not playing in early position unless you hold monsters. One position you should also remember not play is under the gun. That is the position the the immediate right of the small blind. That position is always first to act, and if you bet out in that position your doing one of two things. You are either holding monsters, or you getting restless and its almost a certainty you will be re-raised. See it all depends on what type i.e. tight, looose, player you are.
Analyze your players styles, see if thier tight, loose, ect. Notice any patterns they commit to. Notice any cards they always play, and cards they never play. If you can predict what your opponent is going to do, noting else matters. You can easily take his chips. So I would say the most important part of the pre-flop strategy is knowing your opponents style. Dont bet out to a jackal with nothing, and dont call a super tight mouse.
Here is a perfect example:
You are in late position, right before the button, and your holding KK. Your opponent who raised 3x the blind, and is a tight player. Although you picked up on one of his styles,or tells, you noticed when he has high pairs or a,k he bets out 5x the blinds. So you know he might have an A,Q A,J or maybe even A,10. You have been playing tight, cause your smart. So you decide to re-raise, cause you dont want to give him that chance to hit that ace on the flop, turn, or river. At this point he knows the jig is up, and your hand is to good for his, and with the re-raise facing him he folds. Now what if your opponent was a player who had the same hand but decided to call, a good player but likes to risk, likes to throw money in the pot, and take a chance. As long as Ace doesnt hit, its open season on him, you bet to hurt. I can almost gurantee he folds.
For more info on what style you are visit our poker animals section poker animals
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