Poker Strategy

The worst poker hands in Texas Hold’em share three characteristics: they are unconnected (cannot make a straight), unsuited (low flush potential), and contain low cards that make weak pairs when they hit. The bottom of […]

Badugi poker is a four-card draw game where the goal is to build the lowest possible hand using four cards of different suits and ranks. Unlike Texas Hold’em or Omaha, there are no community cards. […]

GTO poker and exploitative poker are the two dominant strategic frameworks in modern No-Limit Hold’em. GTO play aims to be unexploitable by maintaining a mathematically balanced strategy, while exploitative play deliberately deviates from balance to […]

Check raising in poker is a two-part play where you check out of position, wait for your opponent to bet, and then raise to apply maximum pressure. It is one of the most powerful moves […]

Online 6-Max cash games present a unique set of challenges and opportunities. The accelerated pace means players see more hands per hour, requiring quicker and more precise decision-making. Additionally, the average skill level online tends […]

Suited connectors are two consecutive hole cards of the same suit, such as JTs, T9s, or 87s. They can flop straights, flushes, and straight flushes, giving them a draw-heavy equity profile unlike most other starting […]

Pocket pairs are any two starting hole cards of identical rank, ranging from pocket aces down to deuces. They make up approximately 5.9% of all starting hands and carry more preflop equity than any other […]

Counting cards in poker is legal and fundamentally different from how it works in blackjack. In poker, the equivalent technique is tracking blockers and exposed cards within a single hand to narrow opponent ranges, not […]

Chip dumping in poker is the act of intentionally losing your chips to another player at the table, usually to benefit a partner or accomplice and often as part of a broader collusion scheme. I […]

Bomb pots in poker are poker hands where every player at the table posts a mandatory ante before the cards are dealt, skipping preflop betting entirely and going straight to the flop with all players […]

Preflop play is arguably the most critical aspect of No Limit Texas Hold’em. It sets the tone for the entire hand and lays the groundwork for postflop decisions.  Game Theory Optimal (GTO) poker provides a […]

A gutshot straight draw in poker is an inside straight draw that needs one specific card rank to complete, giving you exactly four outs and roughly 8.5% equity on the flop. Despite being weaker than […]

Heads-up poker is a two-player format where every hand carries more strategic weight than in any other form of the game, requiring wider ranges, constant aggression, and rapid adjustment to a single opponent. Unlike full-ring […]

In tournament poker, mastering preflop tournament fundamentals is key to success. While postflop decisions often get more attention, your preflop choices set the stage for every hand, shaping your chances of going deep. This blog […]

Poker home games reward a completely different strategy than casino or online play — the key is shifting from balanced GTO ranges to aggressive exploitation of opponents who call too much and fold too rarely. […]

A donk bet in poker is when an out-of-position player leads with a bet into the preflop aggressor, instead of checking and allowing the aggressor to continue the action. The play gets its name from […]

Picking the right poker coach is one of the highest-leverage decisions you can make in your poker development. Done well, coaching accelerates your results in a way that years of solo study cannot match. Done […]

Poker is a game that takes a day to learn but a lifetime to master. This adage about poker could hardly be truer, as poker truly is a simple game at first sight but a […]

Texas Hold’em tournaments are the most exciting format in the game, and also the most unforgiving. I have coached thousands of tournament players over the years, and the same costly errors come up again and […]

Spin and Go poker tournaments are three-player hyper-turbo sit-and-gos with a randomly determined prize pool that can multiply your buy-in anywhere from 2x to thousands of times its value. I have studied this format extensively […]

You do participate in the PokerCoaching Discord server, don’t you? If not, you’re missing out on an excellent poker learning community. Maybe your thing is tournaments – we’ve got a channel just for you. If […]