Suited connectors and small pairs are great hidden hands. If you hit the flop with a straight or a flush or trips, these hands can be very profitable. You need to understand that about 85% of the time this will not happen. But when it does you can use it to your advantage and rally clean up.

The ‘Rule of 5 and 10’ is a good rough guide for whether to call with these marginal hands.

1. If it costs you less than 5% of your stack pre flop then you should usually play.
2. If it costs you more than 10% of your stack pre flop you should usually fold.
3. If it costs you in-between these amounts then use your table knowledge to make the call.

When you are in the awkward in between stage of whether to call or fold you need to use all those notes you should have been making since the beginning of play. A good position on the table late or on the button is a good place to call. If the player making the raise is very tight and they suddenly raise 5 time the BB preflop this would be a red flag to fold.

If you hold the following, AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AKs, AKo, or AQs – RAISE. The fewer players you are up against the greater your chance of winning. Players with weak hands should and mostly will fold so you have a better idea of what you are up against. Obviously there are some caveats to this. Be sensible. Watch the other players. If someone who has practically folded every hand they have been dealt for the last hour raises a huge amount and you are holding JJ chances are they have AA or KK and you should leave well enough alone.

You can call with the following; TT, 99, 88, 77, AQo, AJs, ATs, KQs, KQo, KJs, QJs. If you can get in really cheap the middle suited connectors are also worth playing in the late position. But as with above, if that tight player makes a huge raise just fold. Folding is free unless you are in the blinds. Calling only to fold leter can get expensive.

When the flop hits how your hand has developed is in the hands of the poker gods and that is a subject for another time.

Set yourself an amount that you are prepared to lose in on session and stick to it. When you reach that limit walk away from the table/computer and put it from the back of your mind. Whilst it is entirely possible that you will ‘make it all back in the next hand’, it is doubtful and all you’ll do is make a bigger dent in your bankroll.

You should also walk away if you have stopped playing good poker to chase big pots or improbable draws to make your money back. Also if the thought of moving up a limit to make back your losses faster crosses your mind you are definitely tilting.

Be aware of your emotional state when playing. Poker is as much a psychological game as a mathematical one. Don’t play if you have just broken up with your girlfriend and can’t see the cards for the tears (I guarantee you will play terribly) or you have had a huge row with you boss. Depressed, angry or tired players lose money hand over fist. And if anything will make you feel worse it is losing lots of cash.

You should look at your cards carefully before setting your hands. The best way to do this is by sorting them by rank and then by suit. Becoming quick at this will kelp you to have more time to arrange your hands. Of course if you are playing online you have the benefit of sorting your cards with a click of a mouse button.

Your first hand is supposed to be the strongest, so anything less than a full house is considered a marginal hand. If you are able to make a full house or better you would want this as your first hand. After your first hand is made should then start looking to make straights and flushes. If one of your hands must duffer to make the others good then always sacrifice the middle hand. Although your middle hand must be stronger than the three card hand there are situations where you could leave the middle hand with a simple straight to give your last hand trips or a high pair.

The skill of Chinese poker is finding the optimal configuration from the cards you are dealt to maximize profit.

Bet the pot. No seriously. Bet the pot 90 – 95% of the time. The reason for this is twofold. Firstly it makes it very hard to put you on a hand. Better players will spot your betting patterns very quickly. If you don’t think you have the best hand or your draw is weak, fold. Messing about with small bets that you are going to fold later means you will leak money like the Northern Rock. Secondly, it will give people the opportunity to draw cheaply. The dodgy hand they had on the flop my turn into a blinder by the river if you let them get in too cheaply.

Bet on a draw. If you have a fantastic draw that has at least 10 outs to give you the nuts then bet. (Yes bet the pot). If you are first in then be aggressive. Do NOT slow play your hand. Just don’t do it. Omaha is game of draws and redraws and if you have the best hand by the turn, it could be all over by the river.

Finally watch what others are doing around you. If a tight player suddenly bets and then re-raises then get the hell out of dodge. If a big gambler raises pre-flop don’t give it as much weight. You’ll find more bluffing with the betting here than with Hold’em.