When we hear of the concept of playing poker with a partner, the word cheating immediately comes to mind.  That’s because some people who play with a partner engage in the practice of colluding.  But the truth is that you can have a partner in poker without cheating; you just have to know all of the details of playing with a partner first.

Reasoning

In poker there are plenty of ups and downs and this can put a major strain on one’s bankroll.  Fortunately, this problem can be combated by aligning with a financial partner.  Using a partner in poker allows two players to pull their resources together in tournaments or cash games and share the spoils of victory afterwards.  Plus it can be pretty fun as well as motivating having a poker partner too.

Pros and Cons

There are definitely positives and negatives to playing with a poker partner.  One big positive is that you will have somebody to keep you motivated and to share a bankroll with.  This is a big advantage when you are experiencing those days when you just don’t wanna play poker or are having trouble funding your bankroll.  Another advantage is that you will have a fellow poker buddy to hang out with which is great from a social aspect.

The biggest con to playing with a partner is the money issues that arise from any normal partnership.  Whether it’s the fact that your partner isn’t good with money or a dispute about how the cash should be spent, it is never easy sharing a bankroll with another player.  Another big problem with partnerships is that two players may have a difficult time agreeing on how long to play each week.  Some players like to keep a light poker schedule while others want to grind all of the time.

Colluding

If you have a poker partner then it can be all too tempting to want to cheat.  When somebody cheats with a poker partner, this is commonly referred to as colluding in the poker world.  While some players may get away with colluding for a short while, most of them eventually get caught.

And when you’re caught colluding there can be major repercussions such as having your account banned, money taken away from your account, and possibly the shame of having everyone know you cheated if you’re a big name.  The most common type of colluding involves players sharing hand information with each other in order to gain an unfair advantage.  It goes without saying that you should avoid colluding at all costs!

There are few better feelings in poker than when you look down at your hole cards and see an awesome pair.  It’s an even better feeling when the board helps you land a monster hand later on.  But just because you have a great hand does not ensure that you will get the maximum amount of money you should have from that hand.  So it’s very important to take advantage of the really good hands that you do get.  Here is a look at different ways you can make big profits from your great hands.

Betting Every Time

The simplest way to capitalize on a big hand is to bet every time the action comes around to you.  This means laying down a wager on the flop, the turn, and the river which can be tough to pull off if players can put you on a monster hand.  However, this way can work if you’ve got a loose table image and other players think you’re likely to bluff.

Overbetting

Another good way to maximize profits on an excellent hand is to overbet.  Overbetting involves betting far more than the pot which can lure players into the trap of thinking that you’re betting big because you are bluffing.  Overbets are especially effective when other players are left guessing as to what you’re large bets mean.  The only problem with overbetting is that it may scare tight players away from making the call.

Check-Raise

The obvious advantage to a check-raise is that it allows you to have two bets in a single round rather than just one.  But while check-raising may be very advantageous from a chips standpoint, the big drawback is that you can lose a whole round of betting if an opponent decides to simply check as well.  All three of the aforementioned methods are great ways to build a big pot….it’s just up to you as to which situation calls for which method.

Betting in Limit and No-Limit Hold’em games requires quite a bit of strategy.  However, there is perhaps no game that requires as much betting strategy as Pot-Limit Hold’em does.  In Pot-Limit games, you have to be able to figure up odds and outs based on a pot that will be increasing in layered amounts.  And since this is such a crucial part of the game, you should know certain things about Pot-Limit betting before moving on to the more advanced strategies and concepts.

A Game All of its Own

Pot-Limit Hold’em is interesting because it combines both the mathematics of Limit and the reading skills involved with No-Limit into one game.  Your betting limit is the amount of money in the pot, and this only increases as more bets are made.

With this being the case, it’s hard to get a read on pot odds sometimes so your reading abilities come into play heavily in Pot-Limit.  Since you are betting at the size of the pot (or less), you’ll often be seeing 2-1 pot odds which is pretty close to No-Limit.  So you will definitely have to exercise some reading skills in these cases to make the call.

Controlling the Pot

Another important skill in Pot-Limit games is controlling the pot.  And when controlling the pot, you need to capitalize on your opponents’ mistakes while minimizing your own.  When doing this, you need to make solid value bets that will also minimize losses if you don’t have the nuts.  Of course being able to do this requires that you know your opponents so make sure to pay attention to others at the table.

Any Bet can make a Big Difference

Due to the fact that potential bet sizes increase as the pot grows, you can dramatically affect the action with a small bet.  A simple $5 wager could potentially turn into a $20 or $30 raise on down the line.  Always keep this in mind when making decisions on how you can effectively control the pot size.

A lot of good poker players preach aggressive play through frequent bets that will push others out of hands.  Unfortunately, a number of less skilled players take this advice and run with it without considering that the simple act of frequently betting is not going to make one a better player.  Your bets and raises need to have some meaning behind them and should only be made when you have a reason to make them.

Value Bets

When you hit a strong hand it’s definitely good to get paid.  And getting opponents with weaker hands to call your bets in this situation is how you get paid.  Value bets are extremely important in any form of poker so you can extract maximum value from your hand.  That’s why you need to make raises that are large enough to help you get value from a great hand, yet not make opponents fold.

Continuation Bet

Many players mistake continuation bets as a fashionable way to get more money into the pot.  But this line of thinking is definitely wrong since c-bets are actually a way to get opponents to fold right away.  If you raised before the flop and didn’t improve your hand then it’s a good idea to knock people out so nobody hits a drawing hand on the turn or river; c-bets can accomplish this goal.

Bluffing

The bluff is by far the most discussed play in poker by beginners and those who don’t know much about poker.  But typical bluffing isn’t quite as glamorous as it’s portrayed in the movies with people making dramatic cold bluffs.  Instead, most bluffs consist of simply trying to make better hands fold.  With this being the case, you really have to think about the cards your opponent holds based on the wagers they’ve made and also consider if your opponent would actually fold.  If it’s unlikely that your opponent will fold then you have no reason to bluff.