Picking a winning set of cards in poker can sometimes be easier than you think! Some people think it’s impossible to pick a winning set of cards. Other people think that it’s impossible to win any poker tournament unless they know exactly how to pick a winning set of cards. No matter what your opinion is, you have to admit that other people are right at some point and you are just waiting for your moment…

In the end, no matter how hard you try to figure out when you are going to hit, lady luck always seems to smile on you in the most random of situations. Although you can’t control what cards you draw, you can control how you play them and you can potentially make your own set of playing cards that have value. In fact, you can treat a bad hand as one dealt to you.

Your goal in playing poker is both a money strategy and a mental strategy. Simply being a good reliable player, you can’t help but to rely on your information and skills as a poker player. The more information you have, the more successful you will be in raising your chances of winning. People think that poker is all about luck… but actually, poker is about people and psychology.

In poker, the top poker players are more aggressive than other poker players. Why? Because they know how to psychologically bluff their opponents off their hands.

The top poker players know how to psychologically bluff their opponents. They have seen it in action so many times before. If you can be like them, you will make money at the poker table because they are willing to bet more than they have to in order to get their opponents to fold more than they would otherwise have them.

In order to be like the top poker players, you should not only have a good hand. You should have a “semi-bluff.” Imagine what it would be like to have a “semi-bluff” every time you are dealt a great hand. Many top poker players have that ability. If you have a good hand, you can make a “semi-bluff” raise. You will surely make your opponents fold if you have a good hand, but you will have to be a bit more careful with your raises during the later parts of the tournament.

If you are on the button (and last to act), you can pretend to have a strong hand and encourage other players to bet more than they normally would. If you have a strong hand, you may even get other players to fold.

Here are some tips on how to play a powerful hand like one of the top-rated “semi-bluff” raises:

In early position, you should call or fold when your opponent bets or raises with a very wide range of hands. Stay on the safe side of the button, meaning that if you have a monster, you should call or possibly raise.

When you are on the button, you have the power to raise a premium starting hand, such as ace-king or ace-queen.

To successfully bluff, you have to be very confident you have a very strong hand. In the early stages of the tournament, you are not looking to have to make a decision to either call to stay in the game or bet with a weak hand. If you have a weak hand, just call or bet.

When you have a high pair, you should bet or raise when you are last to act.

If you have a high pair and your opponents behind you are playing tight, you should try to steal the blinds with a raise.

Summary

It is possible to win big money at the poker table by hitting pots only about 50 percent of the time. Spend a little time to make this happen for you by following the advice in this article.

Advanced Poker Strategy: Semi-Bluffing It works to your advantage when you are able to make your opponents fold with a strong hand.