pretty sure pros have won million dollar tourneys on 2 7 off suit
Just because Joe Hachem did it once, doesn't mean it's a wise thing to do =_=
[---Most of the advice below is regarding good/experienced players, which I'm not sure will exist in your school game... If you're playing against ALL new players, the only way you'll win decent money is with good cards and good luck unfortunately---]
First of all, play like you know what you're doing... Good players will not go up against people they think don't know how to play because the general concensus is that new players play tightly, and thus if you see a good player go up against a new player chances are the good player has decent cards...
Also, know that the best way to get money is in a one-on-one situation - the more people you have in the pot, the more hands you have to beat (if playing legit) or the more people you have to fool (if bluffing)... On the other side of the coin, even if you think you have a good hand, don't get greedy and go betting ridiulous straight away 'coz you'll just scare people off 9/10 times and waste that good hand...
Basically, know your opponents - make sure you're aware of who knows how to play the game and who the first timers/people only in it for the food are... Speaking very generically in home games those are the only two types you should come up against - people who know how to play and people who don't... If you don't already know who is who, look for signs such as pre-flop raises (knowledgable people are much more likely to either fold or raise, whereas unknowledgable players tend to limp in a lot when the blinds are low), bet amounts (knowledgable players will tend to either bet large-ish amounts or just check, unknowledgable people will be more inclined to bet the smallest possible amount) etcetera...
Once you've got a feel for who's who, you can start playing them like the ******* you are underneath :D As previously mentioned, only try bluffing when you're up against knowledgable players - when you're bluffing, the idea is to play the cards on the field as if you've got the best hand, so if the flop comes up all one suited, or all close cards you can bluff a straight or flush, but if it comes up multi-suited and low numbers good players will call your bluff because they'll most likely have two overcards... A few tips on bluffing in general:
- NEVER bluff against new/tight players - it's been said before, but it's a really really REALLY important thing :D New players will get more confident towards the end of the night, but 99% of the time they'll never have the courage to bluff with a lot of their chips...
- NEVER bluff with more than 2 other people in the hand post-flop; if they're still in the hand after the flop the chances of at least one of three opponents hitting the flop is large...
- When bluffing, bet at least the pot size - definitely more than it if you have the chips, or the pot is small; when you're playing good players, they know to calculate basic pot odds, so you need to make sure that by calling your bluff they need to risk more chips than they'd gain...
- People will NEVER think you have anything higher than a full house... The odds of getting a straight flush, 4 of a kind or a Royal flush are significantly low, to the point where people where it doesn't even enter into their minds that you have those cards... Moreover, in most cases if the opponent you're playing against has even ONE of the cards you're bluffing for, or it comes out after the flop, your bluff becomes a grave digging operation :D The highest thing you should ever bluff for is a full house...
If you have a good starting hand (in a 10 handed game, this'd be two face cards or high suited connectors, and obviously as the number of people decrease the better starting hands become) then you need to force other people out of the pot by betting more than the big blind... Three times the big blind as S.D. said is a good yardstick (again, pot odds come into play for the experienced players), but keep in mind that if you have low blinds this will not take out players with average starting hands (for example, if the big blind is 20c, betting 60c will not force many people out of the pot once they realise that it is indeed only 60c
)... If you have low blinds, try raising to about 5% of the buy in... Another (evil) mindtrick that can be used against new players is to bet preflop with smaller chip denominations, making the raise "seem" like more than it actually is... This sometimes tricks newer players into thinking they will hit their stack hard if they call and just might get them to fold if they have an average hand
For the rest of the hand (flop --> turn --> river betting) you have to commit to one strategy or fold... Changing strategies midhand rarely works, as you don't have enough time to build up an "image" that you want to convey to your opponent (you want the opponent to think you have specific cards, and not keep them confused about what you have... The most useful time to change strategies is if you go for a semi-bluff like an open ended straight or flush draw, and hit something on the turn/river, but is still risky as usually by then people have committed to an action based on their own strategy (check-fold or raise)... A couple of generic betting strategies that I use fairly often (both only work if you act BEFORE the opponent, and are based on one-on-one scenarios):
- Raise pre-flop to check-raise (only useful against exp. players, given that they know the dangers a check-raise holds - psychologically it says that you have a good hand, and you were trying to trick the opponent into bluffing you, or forcing them to make a tester bet so that you could get a little bit more of their money...)
- Large pre-flop raise to consistency (the large pre-flop raise should eliminate all but one opponent, then you simply keep betting the amount you raised to... The consistent betting no matter what the flop turns up will keep your opponent completely in the dark about what you have, so this can either be used for bluffing if they get paranoid or decent hands if they are cocky players... The bet has to be sizable though, obviously, otherwise you'll get too many people in the pot...)
If you're acting after the opponent, they get to dictate the flow of the betting... Unfortunately the only thing you can do is react to the way they are playing, and rely on your intuition... If you think they are going to check-raise you (in flops with flush/straight possibilities this is a likely possibility) you could reply with a check yourself, or you can throw in a small tester bet to see if they'll just call or raise you... That's just one example, obviously - you just have to get inside their head and decide for yourself what that specific person with that specific flop is most likely to do...
A good habit to get into regarding getting into your opponents' heads is by looking at them as the flop/turn/river come out, before looking at the cards themselves... That way you can get their initial reaction (eyes widening, gulping, other visual tells) before they put on their "poker face" - remember, the cards don't change, but people's expressions only come once, so you've got to catch it the first time :D Best place I find to look is their hands, so watch them as they bet as well - most people get fidgetty/shaky when they have good hands... If they have their hands out of sight, look at their face - twitches of the mouth and cheek are common signs that they are holding back a smile or grimace, which could mean good cards or opportunity to bluff depending on the person... If all else fails, try to at least get them to talk, which shouldn't be hard in a home game :D If they have a good hand they'll be more focussed on the game (talk less/short sentences) than if they are bluffing, where they'll be more focussed on their act (talk more/elaboration)...
Wow, too much info eh??? I get carried away when it comes to poker
Anyway, lastly, NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER fold when no one has bet anything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Even if you have a 7 2 off suit and the flop comes AKQ suited, if no one has bet anything, ****ing check... You never know what the next two cards could be, and you could end up winning with a pair of 2's and steal the blinds :D (this HAS happened!!!)
All in all, it's a home game so just have fun, that's what it's all about... No need to get all silent and poker-pro on your friends... If you start losing, eat your money's worth of food :D:D:D
