What is a block bet?

A block bet is used in no limit Texas holdem tournaments to control the size of the pot. Its called “block bet” because it actually blocks your opponent from betting because you are the one betting. Instead of betting too many chips or checking and calling your opponents bet, you make a small sized bet to take the action away from your opponent. This betting strategy might deter your opponent from making a big bet to try to steal the pot. If you have a drawing hand, it might be a good idea to make a small block bet instead of checking and calling your opponents bet. Block betting can trick your opponent on the actual strength of your hand. This way instead of them making a big bet, they may just call your small bet if they have a medium strength hand. The block bet can save you tons of chips during online tournament play when you are the one betting instead of the one calling a huge bet and losing. This strategy also can define where you stand in the hand. If you make a small block bet on the turn with a hand you are not sure about and get raised, you will be able to get away from the hand cheaper than just check calling. There is always the possibility you might be able to take down the hand if your opponent folds when using a block. Keep in mind, just because you are unsure of your hand doesn’t necessarily mean you are to block bet every time. Use the block bet to prevent your opponent from betting at you and to control the action.

Bluffing

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Bluffing is as important as any other aspect in no limit Texas holdem tournaments. There are a few points I want to highlight that you should be paying attention to when applying your poker bluffs. In this post I will go over:

1. Reading your opponents
2. Avoid over/under betting
3. C-betting
4. Semi-bluffing
5. Table image
6. Calling stations

Reading Your Opponents

Since it is impossible to know exactly what your opponent has at all times, you have to be able to read them and judge how strong they are in the hand. Often times, it is crucial to bluff if your opponent shows weakness. Usually when your opponent just calls your raise and then checks, this should light of fireworks in your head and automatically make you think they are weak. Being able to read your opponents weakness is extremely important. Sometimes you can win a hand by betting as if you have your opponent beat even if they are the one who had the best hand. The trick is to make your opponent think you have a better hand than them. Bluffing is an important aspect of any successful poker player’s game. Neither you nor your opponent will flop the “nuts” every hand. You will need to take chances and try to win pots even when you know your beat.

Avoid Over/Under Betting

If you are unsure of how to size your bets, using the PokerBetter poker tournament software will ensure you bet the correct sized bet every time. If your goal is to get your opponent to fold then you have to make sure you don’t bet too low. Doing so may give your opponent odds to call based on the fact that you are giving them odds to call and try to see a cheap river to increase the strength of their hand. If you bet too many chips it may look like you are trying to buy the pot by over betting and your opponent might sense something is up (weakness). When deciding to bluff you can raise with almost anything and bet it out like you hit the flop if you get called. This is known as continuation betting the flop. This is a good way to steal blinds late in the tournament. Sometimes it will backfire and you will lose chips when your opponent actually has a hand. But most of the time you will both miss the flop and the first person to bet will take it.

If you flop a draw or something like bottom pair you can semi-bluff. A semi-bluff is also a good way to build a pot with a drawing hand such as a flush or straight draw. If you bet the draws instead of check-calling them, you may be able to take the pot down on the river with a nice sized bluff regardless of if you hit your draw or not.

Table Image

Don’t get frustrated if you get caught bluffing. Every poker player gets caught bluffing and if you don’t then you aren’t bluffing enough. After getting caught in bluff, go back to playing solid hands unless you want to appear reckless at the table. If you keep trying to bluff opponents will eventually pick up on it and you will get called more often. Try to pay attention to “calling stations” at the table. These “calling stations” are the players at the table who never fold no matter how much you bet. Do not try to bluff them if you notice they are calling a lot of other bets from your opponents.

Calling Stations

If I havent put enough empasis on how important it is to get reads on the table, I will say it again. Getting reads on your table will open up the opportunity to completley take over your table. If you are good enough to see whose a solid player and who is a calling station, you can really punish the weak players and increase your stack. The thing to do when you realize a player is a calling station is to play ABC poker with them. What that means is you want to bet when you have it and check fold when you miss. Since a bluff wont scare them away, preserve your chips and target weak tight players who mostly fold postflop.

Knowing how to play heads up is extremely important because the most money is awarded to the final players at the end of the tournament. One of the most important poker tips to remember when playing heads up is you need to understand that you are going to get dealt crap most of the time but so is your opponent. You’re going to miss flops but so is your opponent.

If I was limited to 5 of the most important poker tips on how to play heads up I would have to say these are the most important:

1. Aggression
2. Position
3. Mix Up Your Play
4. Control The Action
5. Playing Too Many Hands

Be Aggressive

The first of the 5 poker tips would definitely be aggression. The aggressive player is usually the one that takes down the pots. The pressure is on when it’s just you and the other player. Sometimes just simply holding ace high will take the pot down. The important thing to understand is how important position really is when you’re in a heads up battle. When you are playing in position, you can open up your raising range to hands like A2, A3, A4, K10, K9, J10 etc. Hands that you might usually muck at a full table are more valuable heads up.

Position

The second of these poker tips is position. When playing out of position you might want to be re-raising more often then flat calling. Re-raising preflop will take the action away from your opponent on the flop because even though you are first to act after the flop, this gives u the opportunity to be the first one to bluff at the pot. Pushing your opponent out of pots will eat away at their stack and hopefully allow you to walk away with the first place finish.

Mix Up Your Play

The third poker tip is to mix up your game play. Playing heads up is more about going with your gut and being betting at the right time. It is hard to put your opponent on a hand because most of the time they are playing a wide variety of hands as well. You will have to rely on re-raising and bluffing a lot there is only one opponent. That doesn’t mean shove your chips all in with nothing. You can’t just raise and bet your good hands, you have to mix it up a lot. Since your opponent is going to miss the flop most of the time, pocket pairs are very valuable.

Control The Action

The fourth of these poker tips is to control the action. Don’t let your opponent control the action by playing fast. If you’re faced with an opponent who makes quick decisions and bets and raises fast, try controlling the action by taking your time on each decision. This will take the ability of the other player to just steamroll you with aggressive raises and put the action back into your hands.

Playing Too Many Hands

The Final of the 5 most important poker tips is not to play every hand. A big mistake that I see a lot of players making is playing too many hands. It’s key to open up your raising range but that doesn’t justify playing garbage hands every single hand. If you have a chip advantage over your opponent you can pick your spots to raise and bet more carefully. Heads up poker takes a little bit of practice but it is very important in any poker player’s game.

Utilize these 5 poker tips and you are on your way to stepping up your game!