How do you win in Texas Holdem in the long run?

[imported_Robert Andersson]

How do you win in Texas Holdem in the long run?

What are the important factors that makes a differance between win and lose?

humble

/Robert Andersson

[JinX11]

1) Read good material (books, forums, essays, etc)
2) Hand selection
3) Table selection
4) Reading opponents (playing styles)
5) Raising appropriately (for protection vs. for value)

Off the top of my head, those would be my top 5, I think.

[Rudbaeck]

Knowing when you have an edge and pushing it. All your plays should have a positive expected value.

Read, play, think, read, play, discuss, play, read. Rinse and repeat.

[bernie]

There's a reason there's a gun on the cover of HEPFAP.

b

[Niediam]

It is a combination of intelligence and discipline.

[PokerFink]

The biggest key to winning in hold'em, as well as any form of poker, is very simple. It is to play your very best at all times. This seems obvious, but good players loose far more money due to NOT playing their best (due to lack of focus, tilt, whatever) than anything else.

After that, you have to read about the game, discuss the game, think about the game, and practice, practice, practice.

[pzhon]

[ QUOTE ]
How do you win in Texas Holdem in the long run?


[/ QUOTE ]
You outplay your opponents. We all try to play poker well, but it is not enough to succeed. Others must fail.

In fact, winning does not mean you are playing well. The top backgammon players in the world in the 1960s played horribly by modern standards. They won consistently because other players were worse.

[Niediam]

That's probably not actually true. You really can't forget how 'smart' the average person really is. It can be scary if you think about it. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] They may play their best poker but be far worse than the average 2+2er who is hardly even paying attention to the game...

[PokerFink]

[ QUOTE ]
That's probably not actually true. You really can't forget how 'smart' the average person really is. It can be scary if you think about it. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] They may play their best poker but be far worse than the average 2+2er who is hardly even paying attention to the game...

[/ QUOTE ]

You make a good point. Perhaps I didn't say my thoughts clearly enough.

There are certain players that will never win. Either because they don't know what they are doing, or don't care to learn, they will always lose. I'm not talking about these players.

Many players who have the capability to beat a game won't because they aren't playing their best. A player who can beat a game for a modest 1BB/100 playing their best will probably be a losing player in the long run because they won't play their best all the time, and they will lose too much playing below peak level to win back playing at 100%.

Maybe I'm wrong. But how often do you do something stupid that costs you a bet, or several bets? Imagine if you eliminated these dumb, obvious mistakes, and played your very best poker 100% of the time. Your winrate would improve a lot.

[Shoe]

You need to get out of the kiddie pool and start making moves.