Wildmatt's tip #3: pocket pairs

Playing pocket pairs is oftenly played incorrectly, be it pocket aces or pocket eights, you've got to learn how to play it. It also depends on the type of poker game you play, Limit, No Limit and No Limit Tournament.

Limit: If you're in a low limit game, having any low-mid pocket pair could be a bad situation, because calling in a limit game is easier with let's say a 6,7 suited, then in a NL game. The thing not to do in a limit game is raising and hoping to get heads up, most of the time it will not happen, and you'll end up losing money. Another thing pre-flop is if you notice everyone limped in, you might consider a raise to get a pot building. Then after the flop, it all depends on the cards, if you don't get trips, bad luck, you should fold.

No Limit: There's alot of things to consider when playing a pocket pair in NL then in Limit, position, Chips Stack and your opponents. You most definatly do not want to be the caller with pocket pairs, unless you know you've got the nuts. Another safe thing to do with any pocket pair is raising it pre-flop, because in NL, you will see alot less six- seven's suited being played, so if you have Pocket eights and the flop comes, nine-five-two, it's pretty safe to assume you're ahead. This is where the most commun mistake occurs, if you raise pre-flop with pocket Queens and the flop comes up King-Jack-Ace, do not hesitate to fold, let go the money in the middle, it's just pre-flop bets.

If money is involve, you're there to kill people, not win small pots, the safest thing to do in a money game is calling a raise pre-flop with a pair, and hoping for trips, if the raise pre-flop is too big, folding is the option to take. But if you do nail your trips, you have to consider the other cards, if you have trip nines and the other 2 cards are Ace-Jack, you have to look at tells and decide if he does indeed have one of these cards, or if any bet will make him fold. If he plays first and raises, that's good for you, I'd just call. If you still feel confident that your trips held up, raise it and hope for the best.

Hope this helps you a bit more with pocket pairs, cause many people get over aggresive believing that the aces will take it all the time, which isn't the case.

Wildmatt's tip #2: obvious tells

In a table game, tells are a huge part of poker, let's start off the most obvious ones. Distractions, if your opponent has a pair of sun glasses, earphones/iPod, a book, hell, even a hat; observe him carefully. He might reach for his iPod to turn it off, take off the glasses, pull out the earphone, stop reading, either way study it and keep track of the hands he had with each move he does. So let's say he has the absolute nuts and took off his glasses, you know not to play him when he takes them off. Then when he keeps them on, boom; you win.