The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is one of the biggest competitions in poker, and it would be foolish to enter without some sort of strategy and tactics in place. One that you need to know about is what to do preflop. How do you handle this move when you potentially have thousands of dollars on the line? Let’s take a closer look.
What Is the Preflop?
The preflop is the very first round that takes place. You are betting on just the cards in your hand. The community cards are yet to be laid out. If you have a pocket pair, great! If not, you have to assess your hand and see what you are likely to be able to use.
After all, being dealt something like a two and a three is not good news. It is very unlikely that this will lead to a win. Therefore, betting on the preflop could determine whether or not you win the hand. Let’s take a look at some of the tactics you can use when playing in a WSOP tournament, or any other game of poker.
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Be Aware of Your Position
You need to be aware of where you are around the table in the preflop, and when your turn is. This will help you to determine if you should bet and how much you should bet. If you are further round the table, you have more of an idea about whether or not someone has a strong hand on their side. If you are early on, you need to be careful that you don’t expose your hand. You might think that this only applies when playing live. But it is important to remember positional awareness when playing at a site like https://ggpoker.co.uk.
Raise Carefully on the Button
The button is one of the most powerful positions to occupy in poker. It means that you are going to be the last to act. You have all the power when it comes to the positions of your fellow players, so make sure you watch how they act. If you have a good hand and you don’t want to fold, you might be able to put pressure on the blinds and potentially force them out of the game. However, most players in this position will tend to either raise by too much or too little when in this position. Judging it correctly can mean that you have to hit a very precise sweet spot.
Don’t Play Too Tight on the Small Blind
Being the small blind is tricky as you don’t have the best position around the table. Many players can be tempted to sit tight here and wait until they have more room to move. But raising on the slow blind can be a good move to make as well. There is a good chance that you might be able to steal some of the dead money in the pot before the big blind can catch up to you. While you might decide to limp your hand instead, there are plenty of options for you to explore.
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Plan Your Preflop Tactics Carefully to Win in the WSOP
Knowing what the rounds of betting are and how to manipulate them to your benefit is vastly important if you want to succeed at poker. There are so many nuances to this game!
If you ever want to head to a competition like the WSOP, you need to have a strategy in place for every stage of the game, especially the preflop. Otherwise, you will most likely just burn through your chips. Make sure you know what you are doing, and drink in every experience that comes your way as you play.
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