A Bit of Strategic Poker Jargon
Let’s consider the various types of poker games. They are divided into two main groups: tournament poker and non-tournament, that is, cash poker or ring poker. Tournaments can be multitable tournaments (MTT) or single table tournaments (STT). Single table tournaments are usually sit and go games (SNG), that it, the game begins as soon as the table is full.
The tournaments may encompass satellite games whereby the player can move into higher stakes and higher class tournaments or the freeroll games where no fee is required. Then there are the guaranteed games where the host guarantees some kind of prize pool. All but the freeroll require some amount of buy in. In some tournaments, the players are allowed to supplement the buy-in with additional chips through the re-buy and add-on options.
The number of players at a table determines their classification, i.e. 8-10 players make up a long table, and 4-10 players make up a short table. Then there are heads-up tables (HU) where the play is one-on one.
Having familiarized ourselves with the basic rules and terms, we can move on to the basics of poker strategy. The single most important concept any player must know is probably the concept of the odds. Odds are the chances you have of getting the winning combinations in any of the future steps of a current game.
These winning cards are referred to as outs. So your chances for hand improvement is dependent upon the number of outs currently in your hand and these chances (odds) can be calculated, put to memory, or read from an odds table.
The player must also be able to calculate pot odds – the relationship of the required bet to the bank. Pot odds can be discounted and implied odds. Discounting is a decrease in the number of outs which is beneficial to the opponent as well. Implied chances include not only the current pot and bets, but also the possible bets in future rounds.
The strategic possibilities of poker include bluffing plays like: the straight bluff – a bet or raise without any chances of winning in case of a showdown, and the semi-bluff – a raise without a ready hand but with a large number of outs (and thus good chances of improvement). Trickier plays include the slow play or sandbagging – passive play while holding a strong hand in the opening stages of the game, meant to keep players in the game; the free card – a raise from the last position in the flop in the hope of getting checks on the turn and so reach the river without additional expenses (usually used with a drawing hand).
A distinction is usually made between a flush-draw, four cards to a flush, and a straight-draw, four to a straight. Straight-draws can be open ended or gut shot (inside straight) draws. If two specific cards are required to compose a combination, such draw hands are called backdoor draws or runner-runner. When a player still attempts to assemble a draw despite certainly losing to a ready opponent combination, the player is said to be drawing dead.
On to the check-raise. Here the player will check with the firm intent of raising after an opponent places a bet. This particular move is normally in play during the flop against the preflop raiser, which simply means that the player raises during the preflop round.
And lastly, we have the blind steals and defense. Should no one enter into the game prior to the flop, a player in the late position raises in order to coerce the blinds to muck, thereby raking in the bets with no opposing forces. The blind defense is one in which the blind answers the steal with a 3-bet.
