Texas Holdem Poker – 4 Powerful Secrets to Avoid Getting Sucked Out on the River

If you play Texas Hold 'Em Poker long enough, you'll wind up suffering some losses, to someone who's just plain lucky, that just drain the life right out of you. Trust me, this is among the most crucifying elements of playing poker. I can't tell you how many times I got into a hand with the nuts only to be beaten by a lucky draw on the river.

This "bad luck" plagued me for years, until I discovered the 4 secrets to avoid it and poker gods to side with me.

Get ready to learn some of the most powerful and closely-guarded secrets in the game of Texas Hold'Em poker.

Secret #1: Employ power positioning to force out draws.

Let's say that you're dealt Bullets (Pocket Rockets, Pocket Aces), and the flop is A, 4, 8... all hearts. In this position, you should NOT attempt to "trap" your opponents. Even with your three Aces, you're still in a precarious position with the flush draw. Bet big and try to take down the hand without another card being turned.

Secret #2: Learn your opponents.

A tight poker player will seldom beat you with a lucky card. Cautious players commonly don't gamble with draws and will only play when they already have a hand.

Maniacs (very aggressive players) can be grievous. Even if they only have a marginal hand, they're more likely to play the full hand and snatch a lucky card. When playing these players, look out for straight and flush draws. These players are particularly dangerous when they have a lot of chips. Avoid challenging these players with borderline hands.

Secret #3: Luck Vs. Math

I recall one time, after a flop, I had an open-ended straight draw and a flush draw. My opponent had a set of Kings. As chip leader, I called his all-in bet. The hand was almost even, but when I caught my flush on the river, he erupted in anger.

Recall that there's a difference between luck and knowledge of the game. Even if you've got a solid hand, if there is a lot of draws that can crush you, you're in jeopardy of catching "bad luck."

So, to make luck work for you, learn the odds and the number of outs for a given hand. For instance, if you flop an open-ended strait draw and flush draw. There are 15 cards in the deck that can complete your hand.

Learn the math and use it during your games so that you'll be able to be the one who catches the "lucky breaks."

Secret #4: Intimidate Your Opponents

Any time that you sit at a poker game, you should make the effort to intimidate the other players. Sunglasses and poker slang can rattle other players, but bold, aggressive, and varied play is much more daunting.

The cardinal rule to intimidating players is to keep them guessing regarding your play. Never fall into a set pattern of checks, calls, bets, and raises.

When you intimidate your opponents, you will be able to force them to act in a way that will assist you. For example, let's say you've got Cowboys (Pocket Kings). You toss in a medium bet to fatten the pot and frighten a few players out.

Now, the flop comes, 4, 5, 10 with two clubs. Your kings are still probably the best hand. However, there is a lot of draws out there.

If you've attained mental power over the players, you will be able to bet big and take the pot. If no players are intimidated by you, they will call you. The next two cards are 6 of clubs and J of clubs and a flush draw takes the pot.

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Source by Alex J Mitchell