Mastering Texas Hold’em: Essential Betting Strategies for Every Player

I. Fundamental Betting Strategies

1. Starting Hand Selection:
   • Only play strong hands in early position: AA, KK, QQ, AKs.
   • Expand range in late position: small pairs, suited connectors like 76s, or hands like KTs.
2. Pre-flop Raising:
   • Standard open raise: 3x the big blind (BB).
   • If there are limpers (callers), raise an extra 1BB per limper.
   • Avoid limping — either raise or fold.
3. Post-flop Play:
   • With a strong hand (top pair with top kicker, two pair or better), continuation bet (c-bet).
   • If you missed the flop but raised pre-flop, consider a c-bet depending on position and board texture.
4. Bet Sizing:
   • Pre-flop raise: ~3BB.
   • Post-flop c-bet: ~50–70% of the pot.
   • Make bets large enough to deny proper odds to opponents chasing flushes/straights.

II. Intermediate & Advanced Concepts

1. Positional Awareness:
   • Later position gives more information — you can widen your range and steal blinds.
   • Early position should be played tightly.
2. Reading Opponents:
   • TAG (Tight Aggressive): Respect their raises; they often have strong hands.
   • LAG (Loose Aggressive): Bluff more, trap with strong hands.
   • Calling Stations: Don’t bluff them. Focus on value betting.
3. Slow Playing & Bluffing:
   • Slow play only when board texture is safe (not draw-heavy).
   • Bluff selectively — ideal when representing a strong hand on a believable board.
   • Semi-bluff with drawing hands (e.g. flush draws with one overcard).

III. Bankroll Management

• Risk no more than 5% of your bankroll in a single cash game.
• For tournaments: early stages = tight, middle = mix/bluff, bubble = cautious, final table = aggressive.