Wannabe online poker superstars: How to win at poker? One word -- RAISE!

Here's a "how to win at poker" cert for all wannabe poker superstars: be aggressive.

As the 'good book' puts it:

But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.
Exodus 9:15-17

What does this teach us?

One of the best ways to show power in Texas Holdem is to raise you up. This quotation shows that a winning poker player is usually aggressive.

Aggressive players do not always know how to win at poker, mind. Sometimes you will come across a ‘raising station’, a player who can’t help popping the pot almost every hand. Simply pick a solid starting hand to confront him with and vow that you will see it through to the river.

Don’t be a raising station: poker superstars are made of more flexible matter. Don’t be a calling station, either. Regularly checking your hand and calling any bets is the weakest, most passive play there is. Sure as eggs are gloopy white and yellow things in shells that come out of chicken’s bottoms, you will end up being a long-term loser.

When you don’t hit your hands, or end up with a mediocre hand, your passive play means you will be bullied into folding by aggressive poker superstars-type players. When you do flop a monster, your sudden eagerness will be interpreted by the other players as exactly what it is: a sign you are winning. Making players second-guess you every time you bet is the key to winning Texas Holdem play. This is a key concept for those who wish to learn how to win at poker.

It gets even more important to be aggressive in tournament play. Blinds (and antes) increase regularly to put pressure on people to play with less-than-perfect starting hands. Even so, you will encounter players who never adjust their play: they continue to wait for premium hands before committing their chips.

Poker superstars are seldom passive, and if they are, you know it's because they have a monster and are trying to trap their opponent into betting at them.

Tournaments are structured to make tight-weak play the worst possible approach. You must make a stand before the blinds eat you up.

It’s much easier to get away with a steal move if you have already established yourself as an aggressive, but selective raiser: your everyday poker superstars, like Negranu and Ivey, know this is the secret of how to win at poker.

Establish a regular pattern to throw off your opponent. Mixing up your play can be tiring. Here's an easier lesson for budding poker superstars. Do the same thing all the time! It works, as long as you pick the RIGHT same thing to repeat over and over.

When you pick up a good hand, be strong and aggressive. When you plan to steal the blinds, be strong and aggressive. When you suspect another player of trying to push you around, be strong and aggressive when you push him back. (Can you see a pattern emerging?) When you flop a monster hand, yes, be strong and aggressive again.

What will your opponents make of your style? For sure, they will decide that you are no pushover. (Earning the respect of your fellow players is a good sign that you're a potential poker superstar.) Maybe they will think you’re a habitual bluffer, and call more often. Make a note of this and bluff a bit less often.

Bullies hate being pushed back when they try to steal your pots. They will avoid confronting you and will seek easier targets. Weak players will natually be steamrollered by your style. And solid, tricky players do less well against aggressive, strong play than they do against calling stations or raising stations.

Be strong and aggressive. Show power by raising up your opponents.

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