Advanced poker strategy can be defined as anything that enters into your thinking once you fully comprehend the game. Concepts such as check raising, bluffing, slowplaying, pre flop raising with a marginal hand, and investment odds are all advanced strategies. So let’s go in order.

Check Raising

The check raise is useful when you have yourself an aggressive player at the table who likes to bluff or simply likes to raise to see where he’s at in the hand. A lot of people will make a “feeler” bet just to see where they are in the hand to determine if their pair of 7′s (or whatever the case may be) is good or not. If you’ve identified a player at the table who likes to make these “feeler” bets or if you know you’ve got yourself an aggressive player at the table who likes to bet you can always check raise the best hand over to him to pick up a few additional chips.

Of course, the check raise can backfire if you don’t have the best hand, or if you’re dealing with someone of marginal intelligence or understaning of the game. As it says throughout this site do not bluff a bad player. The same applies to the check raise. They don’t know any better and will call you.

Slowplaying

Slowplaying is used as an advanced strategy in certain situations. The keyword here is certain. You really don’t want to slowplay a straight when there are 2 of the same suit on the board as you have the chance of running up against a flush. The same applies if it looks like a better straight may be a coming. There are times when slowplaying is useful, like when you have yourself an aggressive player at the table who likes to raise, raise, raise. In this case you can let him bluff away all his chips to you and pick up a nice sized pot.

Now slowplaying can be abused or overused and that seems to be the case with a lot of intermediate players. This is why its stated that you only use the slowplay in certain situations. Don’t use it all the time. A great example of when to use a slow play would be something like this. You have pocket cowboys. You raise, someone calls. The flop comes king, king, blank. You have 4 kings. Who cares what they have. At this point you’re just praying they make a hand so you can take all their chips. There are only a total of 3 hands that can beat you, 4 aces, a straight flush, or a royal flush. The chances of any of that happening are slim to none. And even if they someone caught one of those 3 hands you’ve been slowplaying so you can get away a bit easier.

Bluffing

The time to bluff depends on who is at the table. If you are dealing with a bunch of maniacs or aggressive players it may not be the best table to be bluffing at. Then again if you haven’t been playing a lot of hands and the aggressive player has picked up on that, you may have the opportune moment to bluff. Pick your timing and place. Make a strong bet if you plan on bluffing. Keep in mind the pot odds. You don’t want to make a bet where it logically makes sense for someone to call if they’re on a draw.

Semi Bluff

The semi-bluff is used to increase the pot size when you are on a draw. Let’s say you have AK and the flop came Q, J, blank. You need the 10. Truth be told you only have 4 outs to make your hand. On the flop you have about a 16% chance of hitting, the turn you have about 8%. So you’d use the semi bluff to either A) take the hand down right then and there or B) increase the size of the pot so if you do make your hand you’ve made a lot more chips. This can also increase your investment odds in the hand as you are preparing to take a good amount of chips if you do indeed make your hand.

Investment Odds

The most important of all advaned poker strategy. Investment odds have to do with how much you are risking on your return. There is an investment odds calculator featured on this website. Are you risking all your chips on a draw to double up? Probably not the best investment, unless you’re short stacked. Are you risking 25% of your chips to take down 2 other players? This is probably a good investment. Investment odds have to do with how much you have to spend to take down another player. You are predicting the outcome. It’s the same concept as in the stock market or if you’re buying a house to fix it up. How much are you spending and what will be the size of your return? If your return is good, it may be worth chasing that straight or flush. If the return won’t be good, well then you should probably just fold.

Pre flop raise with a marginal hand

This can be fun. Keep in mind your position and the types of players at the table if you want to try this. Suited connectors may be a worthwhile hand to try this with. You’re boosting up the size of the pot, while eliminating competition from the pot, which increases your chances of taking down the hand. The pre flop raise is a combinatino of investment odds, bluffing, and semi-bluffing. You don’t have the best hand yet, but who knows you may hit it. Even if you don’t the competitors at the rest of the table don’t know you’re not holding something great. Of course you want to fold if you run across a large amount of opposition.

Knowing advanced poker strategy and applying it correctly are two different concepts. Learn, practice, repeat.