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Poker Strategy

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Poker Strategy

Welcome to FTR’s Poker Strategy section! We currently have 508 free Poker Strategy articles in our ever growing archive.

These strategy articles contain as much information as you would find in multiple poker books – for free! Make sure you take advantage of this free poker strategy and poker training, on all of the topics shown below. Whether you’re a beginner, seasoned professional, cash game grinder, or tournament specialist, there is something to help take your game to the next level.

FTR has been featured by many poker websites and magazines over the years. In Bluff Magazine, Lee Jones mentioned that FlopTurnRiver.com has absolute golden information you can use to improve your game. Poker pro Chris “Wallace” Fox also recommended FlopTurnRiver.com as a free poker training site in Poker Pro Magazine. We also have many reader testimonials from our members saying FTR made them a winning poker player.

To discuss any of the poker strategy articles you find on our site, make sure to sign up for a free account in our poker forum. Let us help you become a winning player!

Categories in Poker Strategy

Beginner Poker

Beginner Poker

112 Articles
Basic strategy concepts to teach new players how to play poker.

Cash Games

Cash Games

58 Articles
When the value of your chips actually means something.

Heads Up

Heads Up

6 Articles
Learn how to battle and beat your opponents, mano y mano.

Limit Hold'em

Limit Hold'em

38 Articles
Strategy articles that help you bet, raise, 3-bet, and cap your bets.

Live Poker

Live Poker

38 Articles
Learn how to transition from online play to your local casino.

MTT

MTT

35 Articles
We teach you how to make the final table and lock up a big score.

No Limit Hold'em

No Limit Hold'em

182 Articles
What are the two most powerful words in poker? I’m all-in.

Omaha

Omaha

14 Articles
When two cards just aren’t enough.

Open Face Chinese

Open Face Chinese

4 Articles
Learn how to get those Queens up top for Fantasy Land.

Poker Dictionary

Poker Dictionary

1,236 Articles
Learn the lingo and terms used by poker players.

Poker Psychology

Poker Psychology

67 Articles
The power of the mind in poker: There is no spade.

Poker Rules

Poker Rules

14 Articles
The rules of the road. Learn how to play various forms of poker.

Poker Tools

Poker Tools

37 Articles
Improve your game by learning how to use the tools of the trade.

Poker Videos

Poker Videos

98 Articles
Watch and learn from the best in the world.

SNG

SNG

41 Articles
For the players who only have two decisions, shove or fold.

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Featured Poker Strategy Articles

Bankroll Management 101

Bankroll Management 101

Bankroll Management Calculator The above tool will help determine which buy-in level you should be playing at, based on the size of your current bankroll. It will give you 3...

Taking the Next Step

Taking the Next Step

In poker, it’s important to keep improving your game so that you can move up in stakes. By carefully considering bankroll management, studying the player pool at your new level and approaching the bigger game with the right mindset, you can increase your chances for success.

The Psychology of Losing

The Psychology of Losing

You can’t win every hand or tournament when playing poker. But an extended losing streak can often have severe emotional repercussions that may compound over time, causing you to lose even more. Learn how to break out of the cycle and start winning again.

Most Recent Articles in Poker Strategy

Blind Stealing 101

Blind Stealing 101

A few people have been posting stats threads lately and I've seen a trend that really needs to be addressed. Most of the people I've seen stats on are not stealing blinds nearly enough, and aren't defending their blinds nearly enough. I've decided to type up something...

EV Calculations Tutorial 3: More Complicated Scenarios

When calculating the expected value of a semi-bluff, you will need to work with compound probabilities. This means that certain probabilities will be expressed as the product of the probabilities of two events occurring. If you’re careful, the calculations should be easy.

The Reality of Online Poker

Having spent around twenty years in the gambling industry in one capacity or another and numerous years in online poker, you cannot help but become aware of the seedier side of the industry. But this applies to all fields, it doesn’t matter what it is or how high...

PokerStars Sit And Gos – 8 Game

Click here to read our PokerStars Review. PokerStars recently introduced a new mixed-game, 8-game, to their games. 8-game combines eight different poker games in a 6max format, testing a player’s ability in a wide variety of games. 8-game can be played in both a...

Texas Holdem Expected Value Hand Charts – 8 Players

While you should choose your ranges based upon game dynamics and your personal playing style, it’s sometimes helpful to see the average value of different starting hands. In this chart, we’ve compiled the EV of different cards across millions of hands in 8-player games.

Rules for Table Selection

There are many things you can do to increase your poker skill and you should do them. However, it is unlikely that you will do anything between now and your next poker session that will dramatically increase your skill. Reading the right books, studying some articles,...

Texas Holdem Poker Hands Position (Full Ring)

Depending on your position, your poker hands order will change; this is especially true when the table is full. The later you are to act, the more liberal you can be with the order of the hands you choose to play. The closer you are to being first to act, the more conservative you’ll need to be.

Emotional Mastery Over Poker Tilt

Here's a fun topic I spent some time working on. It's incomplete but this is an endless topic. Does it make sense to anyone else, or just me? (To give credit where it's due, this is my take on Anthony Robbins - you can do a search for his books.) Realizing Emotional...

Short Stacked and Dangerous

It’s one of the scariest feelings in poker – You’ve just lost a huge pot to a three-to-one underdog and given up most of your stack. As you watch the opponent sort your chips and integrate them into his pile, a sickening realization creeps up on you… You’re short stacked, playing against opponents with more the five times your chip count.

Reversing the Initiative in a Hand

Reversing the initiative in a hand (when is this appropriate and why is it valuable) First I think it's important to define what initiative is, and how it varies. Player A open raises preflop, and Player B calls in position. Player A has the initiative. In order to...

Leveling by Gametight

Leveling is an in-game battle of psychology. It stems from this: Level 0: What do I have? Level 1: What does my opponent have? Level 2: What does my opponent think I have? Level 3: What does my opponent think that I think they have? Level 4: What does my opponent...