No Limit Holdem 101: Poker is a Situational Game

This is intended to be a series of articles about playing on-line no limit holdem cash games. There will be times where I venture into live poker and times where I venture into SNGs, MTTs, Satellites, and games other than no limit holdem, but for the most part this will target no limt holdem cash games.

For the first installment, I am going to cover a subject that applies to all poker not just no limit holdem and not just cash games.

The first topic is simply situational poker.


I see questions asked all the time along the nature of “How do you play pocket Jacks pre-flop?” and the answer is, “It depends on the situation.”

While there are some general statements that can be made about pre-flop play versus your hand holdings, the single most important aspect of poker is the situation.

The situation is the sum total of the picture at that moment in time. You must take into consideration all possible elements:
• Is this a cash game, a Sit N Go, a Tournament, or a Satellite?
• What is my position at the table?
• What actions have been taken before me in this hand?
• What actions are the players yet to act likely to take based on my action and the actions already taken?
• What are the relative stack sizes?
• What are my opponents’ motivators right now?
• Where am I versus the bubble?
• Where are my opponents versus the bubble?

And there are many, many more that contribute to the current situation.

The point of all of this is that you should spend as much time analyzing the situation as you do the cards in your hands.

Paying attention to the way your opponents act is the key to being able to take advantage of any situation.

Give this a try:
• Depending on your bankroll, go to a cheap SNG or a play chip SNG. Take a sticky note or a piece of tape and piece of paper and put it over your cards.
• Do not look at your cards for the entire SNG.
• Watch your opponents’ play and how it changes over the course of the SNG.
• Try to find situations to make your opponent fold by betting.

This little exercise is something everyone should do from time-to-time just to sharpen their skills in this aspect of the game.

Improve your abilities to read (and take advantage) of the situation and you’ll find yourself benefiting in the long term.

Installment number two will be up to you. I do have an outline with 23 topics, but I’d like to know what topic you would like to see me write on next. Drop me a message, comment on this blog, tweet me, or send up smoke signals. Just let me know what you’d like to see next.