REMEMBER THIS

Realize that it's a Showdown Game

And adjust accordingly. You are going to have to consistently have the best hand at the end to win. Realize that some players will play anything and they will often play it to the end regardless of any indications that they are beat.

Forget About Bluffing

A lot of low limit Hold' em players are not sophisticated enough to know you may have nothing but are representing a hand. You often won't be able to buy enough pots to make it worth your while to bluff. Somebody will always call to "keep you honest." There are times when it is correct to attempt a bluff but it must be done intelligently, for the right reasons, and under the correct circumstances. This will be covered in detail in a later in the article.

Play Rock-Solid before the Flop

The most important decision you make every hand is whether or not to get involved to begin with. A bad decision here can, and will, consistently cost you a ton of money. You have to play appropriately for your position and make decisions based on the odds. It is particularly important that you make the correct decision when the pot is raised before the flop since you will be investing a double or triple bet on your hand before you even see the flop. Most players play too loose when making this first decision.

Respect a Raise, Especially Pre-Flop

This goes hand-in-hand with the above advice. There just aren't that many hands that you can profitably play when the pot has been raised pre-flop. Computer analysis shows that if you can't beat the raiser head-up at this point, you cannot win money in this situation in the long run. Save your money for those times when you want to raise, not when others want to raise.

Don't Stop Learning the Game

You're not going to learn it all from this article. Talk to other poker players and read the Card Player Magazine.

My Overall Plan for Winning

Simple, to win the money. This does not mean that you have to play every hand. What it does mean is that you should be a favorite to win the hand when you do play. There are several general principles that you should keep in mind when your goal is to win the money:

Always Make the Correct Decision

Your real job is to make the best decisions you can based on the information available to you at the time. It actually doesn't matter if you win the hand or not. Remember, you can do the wrong thing and still win the hand but that doesn't prove that you played the hand correctly or that you're a good player.