Pre-Action Buttons Strategy

You know those pre-action buttons that online poker rooms offer? They seem helpful enough. They will give you the following options:

• Auto-post blinds
• Sit out next hand
• Muck losing hands

These options are available as well:

• Check/Fold
• Call
• Raise

It makes sense to use the top set of pre-action buttons but you want to avoid the bottom set of buttons as much as possible.

To auto-post blinds is pretty much a courtesy to the other players at the table. This means that if you didn’t realize you were left of the button, you will not accidentally hold up game play by not paying the blind. If you plan to sit out next hand, using the pre-select button to do this is fine.

Using the muck losing hands option is pretty much the only pre-select button you want to use all the time. Why? Because if you don’t, you will end up showing the rest of the table what your cards look like whenever you fold your hand. You don’t want to do this because it gives your opponents an insight into your playing style. Let’s say you play tight and fold whenever you don’t think you can win. The harm can come if somebody figures out how you play. Then when you keep a good hand, they will be first to fold to avoid losing any money to you. Where’s the fun in that? Keep them guessing as much as possible.

You can also use a poker calculator to help you with the decisions.

The bottom three options you’ll want to avoid like the plague. Why? They also give insight into what type of player you are. Nevertheless, you reason, how could anybody know what you have pre-selected and whether you’re using the pre-select buttons? One of the easiest online tells is the speed of your response time. If your turn goes fast, i.e. too fast for a human so it must have been a computer that put in your response, players can figure out that you are using the pre-select buttons. What’s wrong with that?
• You are showing them you make your mind up to fold as soon as you get bad cards. That will warn them off when you decide to keep your cards.
• If you automatically check, you’re also showing that you have a weak hand.
• You are making your betting decision before everybody else has had a chance to play. This means you may not understand the importance of what everybody else is doing on the table; you’re basically playing by yourself.
• You might be playing multiple tables and therefore aren’t paying that close attention to what’s happening at this table. In this case, a player might be able to bluff you more often to get you to fold and steal your pot money.
While some of the pre-action buttons make sense, consider keeping the rest off limits. You will find that the more you keep to yourself, the harder it will be for your opponents to play you.
Read a great poker school including much more info.

Popularity: 1% [?]

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.