This is one of the most often asked questions by so called poker experts. Texas Holdem is a game of poker odds and not game specific cards. It is the cards placed on the table that generally give the hand a better chance of winning or completing the game. You should not assume that you know the exact probabilities of certain cards coming out. However, you can easily estimate with high confidence what the odds are of achieving a particular hand and bet accordingly.
You should not play low pairs except in late positions. The reason is that if there are 2 or 3 players left in the game, chances are there will be more 10-value cards in the flop. There is a better chance of completing a straight, flush or full house with these hands in late positions.
Stipulating you will not play inch cards like AK, AQ, JJ, TT. These hands have the least probability of winning the game. And bumping your pairs is one of the most effective poker strategies you can use.
In the situation in which you have 3-5 players remaining in the hand, the good thing to do is to avoid the chase cards. These cards are most often times the reason why players get a low hand and attempt to chase the low. They chase in the hope of hitting a card that will complete their low. But most often, they just turn out to be complete junk. In this situation, you would best to proceed with caution. Stick to your guns and be patient. Deal with the players in an isek jackpot situation only if you have the best hand.
However, in adopting this Egp88 strategy, you should also eliminate from your decision any cards that do not give you a good chance of winning. You need to be patient and selective. But it is also important to bet aggressively when you do have a good hand. This is especially good when the pot odds are in your favor. When you bet aggressively and your hand is mostly likely to win, you will not make most of the players fold.
For instance, you have AKo. The flop is 754. You have a straight draw and you should bet aggressively. If a player immediately places a bet, you should decline the opportunity to chase the straight. You are not chasing, you are simply doubling up in order to induce a weaker hand to fold. This is an advanced poker strategy, but one that you should employ when you have a good hand and there is no way that you can get away with it.
Another advanced strategy would be to attempt to steal the blinds. You can attempt to steal the blinds with a hand like AsAh, AsKs, a hand like Ad6s or even AQ. When you have a good hand, and you are in late position, you can raise in late position. This is to induce the players in the blinds to fold. You will get more money in the pot from these moves and the chances of isolating a weaker hand are greatly reduced.
But these strategies are advanced moves and the perfect strategy to use against no limit is not available. If no limit comes to you then you need to get out while you still can. The money you save can be used for a future trip to Vegas!