No-Limit Poker : When to Put Your Money InWhat's the goal of
playing No-Limit cash games? To make money? Yes, but that's too
broad. To play the best poker possible? You're getting warmer since
that's always your main goal at a table, but go further. In a cash
game, you always want to put your money in on the best hands
possible. The secret to playing No-Limit Hold'em cash games at
a full table is to wait a long time before striking. Wait, wait,
wait to put your money in until you've got the best pre-flop hand
possible - AA, KK, QQ and A-K. What makes this technique
particularly effective is that most new players in the poker world
love action and practically throw their money away on every hand as
a result. They're used to watching World Series of Poker tournaments
on television where the action seems constant, so they force action
in cash games. But the circumstances are different in tournament
play and cash games and the same techniques can't always be applied.
In tournaments, you have the possibility of getting blinded out of
the game. That's why you'll see the top pros going all-in on A-x and
mid-pairs. The televised events are also deceptive because all they
show is the action. Showing the other 72 hours of players folding,
folding, folding isn't going to keep the audience watching, so they
only play the highlights and the final table where the blinds are
incredibly high and force players to act. So, new players come
into a game expecting a lot of action and end up forcing it, which
is something you never want to do in a cash game. Let the action
come to you. When you play a full-table cash game, the only hands
worth raising are the top four pre-flop hands. I would even limp in
on jacks unless I was on the button and everyone had folded.
On occasion you'll end up with a few people in the pot after you've
hit the flop hard. You'll need to make a big pot-sized bet in these
multi-way pots to weed them out and punish them for drawing.
The absolute best way to play No-Limit Hold'em cash games, at any
size table, is to have the patience to wait for straights, flushes,
or trips before putting your money in. If you can consistently wait
for the best hands, you'll win in the long run | 
