Poker Strategy
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Welcome to FTR’s Poker Strategy section! We currently have 508 free Poker Strategy articles in our ever growing archive.
These strategy articles contain as much information as you would find in multiple poker books – for free! Make sure you take advantage of this free poker strategy and poker training, on all of the topics shown below. Whether you’re a beginner, seasoned professional, cash game grinder, or tournament specialist, there is something to help take your game to the next level.
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Categories in Poker Strategy
Beginner Poker
112 Articles
Basic strategy concepts to teach new players how to play poker.
Cash Games
58 Articles
When the value of your chips actually means something.
Heads Up
6 Articles
Learn how to battle and beat your opponents, mano y mano.
Limit Hold'em
38 Articles
Strategy articles that help you bet, raise, 3-bet, and cap your bets.
Live Poker
38 Articles
Learn how to transition from online play to your local casino.
MTT
35 Articles
We teach you how to make the final table and lock up a big score.
No Limit Hold'em
182 Articles
What are the two most powerful words in poker? I’m all-in.
Omaha
14 Articles
When two cards just aren’t enough.
Open Face Chinese
4 Articles
Learn how to get those Queens up top for Fantasy Land.
Poker Dictionary
1,236 Articles
Learn the lingo and terms used by poker players.
Poker Psychology
67 Articles
The power of the mind in poker: There is no spade.
Poker Rules
14 Articles
The rules of the road. Learn how to play various forms of poker.
Poker Tools
37 Articles
Improve your game by learning how to use the tools of the trade.
Poker Videos
98 Articles
Watch and learn from the best in the world.
SNG
41 Articles
For the players who only have two decisions, shove or fold.
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Featured Poker Strategy Articles
Most Recent Articles in Poker Strategy
Please Stop Paying Off Loose/Passives at the Poker Tables
Having the faith to lay down hands when facing aggression from loose/passive players requires a strong understanding of why you can fold.
Win MTT Poker 08 – Bankroll Management
As any poker player does, you will suffer your share of bad beats in tournaments. It’s important to have a proper bankroll management strategy and sufficient emotional fortitude to survive to see the long-term rewards of your superior play. Always evaluate your draws carefully.
Developing a Feel for Equities in No-Limit Hold’em Part 1: Draws in Your Range
In order to become a top No Limit Hold’em player, you need to learn to consider how different flops affect the equity of your range and your opponent’s range. It turns out that adding draws to a range on the flop doesn’t drastically lower that ranges equity.
ISF – Predicting the Future and a Hand For Analysis
We are on the river with 97s on a JJ922 board. Our opponent has bet 3/4ths the pot into us, and we are put in a tough spot. We know from the past streets that our hand look weak and our donk opponent, who seems to never fold (ever), could easily have a J, 2, overpair,...
Developing a Feel for Equities in No-Limit Hold’em Part 5: Hitting Pairs
Last week I said that we would look more at the turn. Instead, I’ve decided that we’re going to look at something else that will be more useful: hitting pairs with different ranges. It’s fairly easy to see how many draws ranges have and if those...
Dealing With Bad Beats
Recently I have seen a number of posts by newer players complaining about bad beats and suckouts and perhaps even suggesting that certain sites deliver a greater proportion of bad beats than others. There is already a sticky in the bad beat forum about this but I...
Independent Chip Model/ICM Calculations
I’m not going to cover the theory underlying ICM as this has been covered much more comprehensively elsewhere (Link here), so these posts are intended to be a step-by-step guide to the following situations that cannot be calculated using SNGPT (note that SNG Wiz...
Playing the Small Blind in an MTT Part 2
In Part 1 of this series, we looked at how to calculate your expected value (EV) for pushing all in from the small blind against the big blind. In Part 2, we’ll take a look at what to do with very short stacks. There are a few factors that compliment the EV...
Moving from $1/2 to $2/4
Although you have the bankroll, you may not decide to move up just quite yet, which is more than understandable. However, there are two reasons in doing so: First: The players play just as bad at $2/4 as they do in $1/2. In essence, the same quality play will net you...
ISF – There’s No Such Thing As a Made Hand
There are many names of hands in poker. For example we often call pocket Ace’s pocket rockets, or Ace-King off suit big slick. There are also names for the type of hands we get. A pair is normally referred to as a “made hand,” and four cards to a flush or straight are...
More Poker Tells and Reviews
When playing live poker, you can get important tells on your opponents by carefully paying attention to their movements and actions. Whenever players seem to deliberately go out of their way to give you information, the actual information is usually the opposite of what they’re trying to tell you.
Texas Holdem Expected Value Hand Charts – 9 Players
Below is a table of Texas Holdem starting hands, ordered by their Expected Value (EV) in a 9 player holdem game. These statistics were produced by using millions of hand histories to compute the following results. The below chart is very interesting because you can...
chardrian’s True Value of AK
AK is, without a doubt, an excellent hand. It is ahead or flipping against every hand except AA and KK. Nevertheless, you should exercise caution with AK if there are multiple raises in front of you. If there are folds, limpers or a single raise in front of you, you should absolutely play it.
You Can’t Make Your Opponent Fold
A lot of people ask how to make opponents fold so they cannot suck out. Here is a long story. It will be meaningless to some. To others, it may resonate and really help. In my 20s and early 30s I practiced an old, particularly brutal martial art. For those who have...
Practical Game Theory in Poker (Part 1): Attack and Defense
Attack and defense in game theory mean somewhat different things than what you might initially think about in poker.