Texas Hold’em Poker: How Irish Players Can Make Money with Premium Pairs
Poker is in the midst of a significant boom in Ireland, with the launch of the Irish Poker Tour significantly boosting the game’s profile across the Emerald Isle.
Its creation has not only led to a rise in the number of visitors to brick-and-mortar casinos, but has also sparked a sizeable increase in how many people play poker online.
Numerous online casinos in Ireland now offer a vast array of poker tables to suit every budget level, thus giving newbies the chance to hone their craft before attempting to climb the ladder.
One of the key gameplay elements every poker player needs to learn is how to play premium pairs, particularly when it comes to the cut and thrust of fast-moving tournaments.
With that in mind, we have produced this handy guide which shows Irish players how they can consistently make money with premium pairs in poker.
How to Play Premium Pairs Pre-Flop
If you are dealt AA, KK or QQ before the flop, your chances of winning the pot are statistically much higher than with any other combination of cards.
However, it is imperative to maximise the advantage you have been given by ensuring that the size of your pre-flop bet is enough to whittle down your opponents.
Betting three or four times the big blind is a solid strategy to employ, as this prevents players with marginal hands from limping into the pot in the hope of connecting on the flop.
Your ultimate aim with pre-flop premium pairs is to either pick up the blinds unchallenged or create a heads-up situation you can capitalise on when the community cards are dealt.
How to Play Premium Pairs Post-Flop
Having established control of the pot by being aggressive before the flop, you should generally make a continuation bet when the first three community cards are dealt.
The chances of your opponent being in better shape are fairly minimal if you have improved your hand on the flop, although you need to be wary of potential straights or flushes.
If you miss on the flop and your opponent raises you, this will likely indicate they have either hit a good hand or need to draw just one card to get there.
As you develop your poker skills, you will learn to identify the situations where your premium pair is no longer the best hand and muck them to protect your chip stack.
How to Avoid Costly Mistakes with Premium Pairs
Whenever you enter a poker tournament, your ultimate aim is to build your chip stack and secure a place ‘in the money’.
Maximising opportunities to profit from premium pairs is a key poker strategy – when you are dealt a monster hand, play it aggressively.
There may be occasions where you can slow play your hand, especially if you have identified that an opponent is playing extremely loosely.
However, you must use slow-playing sporadically as more talented players will exploit this tactic the deeper you go into a tournament.
