Poker isn’t about the cards, your cards only matter about 30% of the time. The other 70%? That’s psychology, discipline, positioning, and knowing when to fold a winning hand because your gut tells you something’s off.
Winning Strategies for Modern Poker
- Play the Player
Concentrate on Reading Individuals — Not Just on Your Hand Strength
Your cards are fixed. They don’t change. But your opponents? With every move they make, they are providing you with information.
Are they betting like maniacs? Are they frozen for a moment before they call? Have They Just Taken Look On Your Chips When The Flop Down? The Power of Position.
- Master the Power of Position
If you’re not considering position in your strategy, you’re losing money already.
Position is everything in poker. And a lot of the novices will flat out neglect it.
Late Position = More Info, More Control
When you are playing in early position (first to act), you literally have no idea what anyone else is going to do. You’re flying blind.
Because when you’re in late position (the last to act), you see what everybody else does. You know who’s strong, who’s weak, who’s bluffing.
There’s no bright and shiny in your bankroll. It is your ammunition. Bet every chip like it’s a bullet, but use bullets wisely—it’s hell when you are out of ammo.
I learned this the hard way. I’d play ₱500/₱1,000 stakes with a bankroll of ₱20,000 once upon a time. One bad beat and I was on the run. I was broke after one bad night.
- Bluff with a Purpose
Bluffing is sexy. That’s a lot of what they show in movies. That’s what poker is.
But that’s not how they show the two: most bluffs are unsuccessful.
Don’t Bluff to Stoke Your Ego—Bluff Because It’s Logical
Control Your Emotions – Tilt is when you start making emotional, irrational decisions because you’re frustrated, angry. Bad Beat Doesn’t Kill Strategy
- Review Past Games
I look at all my big hands after every session — win or lose.
Questions I ask:
- Did I bet the right amount?
- Could I Have Extracted More Value? I Extract More Value?From How Much?Did I miss any tells?
- Could I have folded earlier?
- Fold More Win More!
Folding Isn’t Weakness It’s Wisdom. In the beginning, I thought folding was dull. I wanted action. I wanted to play hands. And so I played too many hands. And I lost.
Now? I fold about 70% of my starting hands. And I have never won more.
- The Best Players Win By Playing Less, Stronger Hands
You don’t get paid to play every hand. You only get paid for playing the right hands at the right moments.
Concluding Thoughts
Poker is not about getting lucky. It’s about consistently making better decisions than your opponents – over and over and over again.Play the player, not the cards – read people, spot patternss
