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Poker should be considered one big, long session. Each time you sit at the table you should attempt to play your best. As long as you are playing well and your opponents are making mistakes, you should keep playing.

Whether you are up or down for the night should not be a consideration if you are thinking about getting up from the table, unless it is affecting your play.

Luck plays a large factor in your results in any given night. Poker is about the long run and your job is to make good decisions. Leaving a table simply because you are up for the night may cause you to miss out on even bigger wins later on.

Many players set a limit for their potential losses when they are at the table (ie. if they lose a certain amount of money they will stop playing). This is a very good strategy if you are the type of player who is more likely to make mistakes if you are down.

Some players experience this type of tilt, especially if they are losing as a result of their opponents’ luck. However, if you are able to play solid poker even when you have been losing, then it might be in your best interest to stay at the table.

If you are losing because your opponents have been getting lucky, then you are at a good table. Your opponents are making mistakes, which is what you want from your opponents. Chances are that your opponent’s good luck will not continue if they are playing poorly. By staying at the table, you may find that you will be able to recoup your losses and show a profit.

Regardless of whether you are winning or losing, you want to play at a table where your opponents are playing badly. So, unless you find that you do not play your best based on being up or down for the night, then you might as well keep playing……after all it is just one big, long session.

When playing no limit ring games or tournaments, it is important to keep your bet sizes the same. By raising pre-flop the same amount each time, it becomes difficult for your opponents to put you on a hand. If you end up raising less with your premium pocket pairs, your observant opponents will be more likely to accurately put you on a hand.

Typically, most good players will raise pre-flop three to four times the big blind. They will make the same size raise if they have pocket aces or 76 off-suit. This keeps your opponents guessing if the flop helped you or not.

It is also important to maintain consistency with your bet sizes post-flop. If you end up varying the size of your bet based on whether or not you were helped by the flop or not, your opponents will have a huge advantage. It will be almost as if your cards are face up. A bet on the flop after you were the pre-flop raiser is called a “continuation bet”. Post-flop bets are typically measured in relationship to the pot size.

A typical continuation bet is at least half the pot. Sometimes it is advisable to bet three quarters of the pot or a bet that equals the pot. Bet any less than that and you are giving your opponents the proper pot odds to continue with the hand. Betting more than the pot will most likely result in your opponents folding, and you not getting paid off on your strong hands.

Obviously the size of your continuation bet should depend on the characteristics of your opponents. When up against calling stations, you will need to bet a little more and likewise, against tight passive players you should probably bet a bit less.

Another factor to consider is the number of opponents. In a hand against multiple opponents, your bets need to be a little larger because there is a greater chance that at least one of your opponents is on a draw. If you are up against a single opponent, you will likely be able to protect your hand with a smaller bet.

The nature of the flop is also important when determining how much to bet. If you have top pair or an overpair and the board appears safe, you should make a smaller continuation bet as you want your opponents to call with hands like middle pair. If the board has obvious potential straight or flush draws, then you will want to bet more in order to protect your hand. You want to charge your opponents more, in order to hit their draw.

There are many factors in determining how much you should bet. There is a fine line between getting value out of your strong hands while protecting your hand against your opponents’ draws. Being consistent with your bet sizes will give you a big advantage over your opponents because you will be tougher to read.

The semi-bluff is a valuable tool to have in your arsenal of poker tricks. You can win pots without hitting your hand. When you are semi-bluffing, you may hit part of the board, but you are typically raising with some sort of draw like a flush draw or an open ended straight draw.

The idea is to win the pot right there, but if you are called you have a number of outs to win the pot.

Ideally, you would want to attempt a semi-bluff against tighter opponents who are more likely to fold their hand. The fewer players in the pot, the more likely you will be successful. It is generally not worth it to semi-bluff at very small pots, but the chances of success are much higher.

The larger the pot, the less likely you will be successful, but when you are successful, you will win more money.

Here is a good example of an opportunity to semi-bluff: You are on the button in a limit ring game and it is folded to you. You raise preflop with AQ of clubs. The small blind folds, and the big blind re-raises with pocket nines. You call and see a flop of 10 of clubs, 6 of hearts and 2 of diamonds.

The big blind bets, you call, and you both see the turn which is the Jack of clubs. The big blind bets again and now you raise. You don’t have the best hand here, but the big blind doesn’t know that. He very well might fold his pocket nines, which don’t look so good with you showing aggression on this board. Even if the big blind was to call, any club, a queen or an ace will now give you the best hand and allow you to win the pot.

To recap, when you semi-bluff, you are hoping your opponent will fold their hand right then. The semi-bluff is a more powerful weapon than a pure bluff, because even if your opponent calls, you have a decent shot at outdrawing them. By adding the semi-bluff to your arsenal, you will find yourself winning pots without necessarily hitting your draws.