Hmmmm… wondering how different a strategy and a tactic is? In terms of poker, both are different and are way apart from each other. A strategy in poker is to plan comprehensively for a long term goal. It defines the course of action to be taken to achieve the end goal of a player.

Tactics is a part of the strategy and most of the poker players use tactics rather than strategy. Does this sound too much for your brain to digest? Well, its simple at the same time can get very complicated. If you understand the basic concepts, this can turn out to be the easiest thing to understand.

The problem is that most of the players get into the game without even understanding the game properly. All they know of the game is that they can earn few quick bucks if luck is on their side. Who’s bothered about strategy or calculations?

Having a good overall strategy for your play will make sure that your decisions are simplified and you tend to focus on the game. Strategy can be simple and its about having a plan for the game. Sensible strategy can be complex but it will make sure that the decisions are made simple. Its more like a guide for your to follow.

There might still be problems however, if you have a plan in place it will be much easier tackling it. There are different strategies for different variations of the game. The strategies used in online poker is different from the ones that are used in tournaments. Each one is different and you have to have a different plan for each type of game. Few of the general strategy which can be used in Holdem are discussed below.

Holdem Strategy:

This simple game is about forming the high hand. The player with the high card wins. In the game, the players who hold two good cards have a great chance at the best hand or a draw to the best hand after the flop. Playing strong hands that will raise or multiply raises is worth considering.

It is better to play strong high hands as often and to play it aggressively. The goal is to reduce competition by taking most of the player out and thereby increasing your chances of winning. A few of the terminologies are explained below so that you have a better understanding.

High Cards – Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten are the high cards. Having the high cared increases you chances of winning.

Medium Cards – Cards from Nine to Seven are considered medium cards and with a little bit of planning you can form a good hand.

Low cards – Cards from Six to Two are the low cards.

Suited Player Hand. – When both cards are of the same suit its call the Suited Player Hand.

Nut Hand – Also called as the Lock, this is an unbeatable hand.

Fast Play – Is where there are quick betting happening so that most of the players are eliminated at the earliest.

Slow Play – Ideally used to increase the pot odds.

It’s good to understand these actions and their purpose. Once you have a good understanding of these you will be able to plan you strategy around it and will have a better chance of winning.