Today’s Texas Hold'em Strategy is about playing against an experienced, well respected player. These people are the General Shermans of poker strategy. They get the advantage, they press that advantage, then burn your stack of chips to the ground like it was the city of Atlanta. They also live by rigid sets of rules and pot odds calculations, with the occasional bluff thrown into the mix. In other words, from a Texas Hold'em Strategy standpoint, they play really good poker. This is a stick you can beat them with in a No Limit Hold'em atmosphere.
If you are new to the game of poker, and find yourself playing heads up against someone whose first all-in bet came during their potty training years, you are not going to be able to cross swords on the poker strategy battlefield. They will eat you alive. You are going to have to use guerilla tactics, and shift the battlefield to one of your liking; this means you play when you have a really good hand, and occasionally engage in “donk” bets (donkey bets).
Donk bets are a great way to cut an experienced opponent down to size. This is because there is no rhyme, reason, or poker strategy behind them. If you go all-in, out of position, before the flop, your experienced opponent may simply fold, even with the better hand, because the odds of confronting you are not exactly attractive. Also, experienced poker players like to limit the influence luck has on their poker strategy, not leave the outcome of a hand in fates fickle fingers. Shoe horning luck into the mix puts them into uncomfortable territory and negates their experience.
Donk bets is not a long term poker strategy, because it won’t be long until they are on to you, and start challenging you simply for the sake stopping you. In the long run, good play will always come out ahead of bad play. You have to mix your donk bets in with aggressive play when you have good cards. Once they have figured out the fact that you are making big bets with nothing behind them, tighten up and start playing only your good hands. They will challenge your bet and walk right into your strong, made hand. This will keep your opponents off balance.
That is the Texas Hold'em Strategy for today.
