L ike anything else if life, you have a better chance of coming out ahead if you have a winning strategy. For all its simplicity as far as the rules are concerned, any type of poker requires a great deal of skill and strategy. Learning how to win is an educational process, practicing what you learn is a lifetime effort.

There are essentially two types of player strategy, aggressive and conservative. Let's take a quick look at each one. Don't try to fit yourself into one or the other. Most players change their basic strategy depending upon who else is at the table and how the cards are falling.

A n "aggressive" player bets high early in the game with the goal of forcing weaker players out early. Once left with the hardcore players, the player continues to bet, often up to the table limits, and usually stays in to see the final hand.

T he "conservative" player will bet the minimums and will fold early if the cards are not in their favor. The downside of being a conservative player is that you often end up spooking the other players when you decide to stay in or start betting outside of your normal range. This is almost always a sure tip-off that you've got a good hand.

O f course, Poker wouldn't be Poker without bluffing. This is such an important aspect of any Poker strategy, that we devote a serapate section to it.