Poker Strategies: Do Not Chase Hands

One of the most conspicuous signs of a new Poker player is their penchant for chasing hands. Whether you are competing on the Internet or in a live casino card room, this is a play that is best avoided, for it leads to numerous problems.

Chasing hands in Poker refers to the tendency to play hands long after they have outlived their usefulness. Often they play and pay on, hoping to get something out of it. A good example of a chaser is someone who will pay to see the turn and river, hoping to get that backdoor flush draw even though the odds are against it.

Chasers in Poker often just get caught in the situation. They have what they think is a potential straight or flush draw, and try to obtain no matter what the cost. They will continue to bet, call, raise and re raise.

They will, in almost all instances, just end up contributing a large chunk of money to the pot that will go to another player. On the very instance that they will win, the cash in the pot will be barely sufficient to cover up the bets that they made on the turn and river.

An even bigger problem that arises from chasing is that most of the time, these Poker players are not even aware if the hand that they are chasing is actually the high one. They could end up with the second highest straight or flush in the Poker hand.

One other trait of chasers that you will immediately notice is their refusal to lay down a pre flop hand that has not been augmented by the board. They often think that because it was strong before the flop, they will somehow get the cards they need to strengthen it again on the turn or river. Not only are the Poker odds against that, but whatever hand you get will likely aid your opponent's as well.

These are just some of the problems that you will encounter with chasing cards. The best Poker strategy of course, is to know the hands that should be played. Knowing the game that you are in will make it easier to recognize which are playable and which should be thrown into the muck.

By knowing the proper hands to use or lay down, you can avoid being a chaser in Poker and save yourself a lot of trouble and money.