Snap Poker – The Ultimate Guide

How Beginners Play Snap Poker

Beginner players will make fewer pre flop mistakes. They are likely to play tighter in this format as the ability to fold fast and move on will encourage them to play stronger hands. The truth is, they play more hands in a regular game as they are keen to be involved in the action and are less patient.
Beginners are playing to hit hands, not win every pot that is there to be won. They will be playing more patiently because it’s convenient and they will not be making as many elaborate or desperate moves post flop. You can expect many beginner players to play fit or fold poker. This is contrary to how they sometimes play in regular games when they will stubbornly call down with ace king when they should be folding.

How to Beat Beginners at Snap Poker

As we’ve identified, beginners are likely to play much tighter before the flop. The best strategy to employ against these players is simple and two-fold – play for implied odds and play as many pots in position. Since we know our opponents are likely to play a tight range of hands, you can play post flop accordingly. If it comes high cards, it’s their range and you can get out the way. If it’s low you can take away pots, float or get value if you have better than an overpair and they are investing. The beauty is, beginner players get attached to their overpair or top pair hands, so you can stack them off easier. This format also means that a newbie who goes on tilt will be giving away a lot of money and quicker.

How Regs Play Snap Poker

Regulars are stealing more in late position. Any seasoned player knows that position is key and are opening wide in late position. This is even more true when it comes to snap poker. An experienced player knows people are instantly folding and can steal the blinds liberally, without contest. This is a perfectly fine strategy as they are probably waiting 3 seconds for action to get to them before stealing 1.5 big blinds or playing post flop in position. They are also likely to tighten up their stacking off range as they know players are less likely to move all in before the flop on a bluff.

How to Beat Regs at Snap Poker

We know the regs will be stealing the blinds as much as possible. An effective strategy to counter this is to 3 bet before the flop or defend the big blind wider and throw in check raises liberally. Regs do not have the ability to read opponents and get a feel for the table in this format, thus, they are more likely to play standard and give you credit. They don’t have history with you and without enough information, they will err on the side of caution and fold more in tough spots.  I recommend making your 3 bets quite large before the flop to deter them from calling. It’s better to do this with junky hands or ace rag than playable hands with value like pocket sevens or king ten suited.

Pros

• More hands get played so you gain more experience and greater potential to earn more per hour.
• No need to be concerned with table selection as you are playing against random players every hand. This means you are facing different types and calibre of opponents.
• Opportunity to bluff more as less concern over table image. People won’t be picking up on your tendencies quite as much as if they were on a regular table.
• Playing poker faster is definitely more fun, you’re whizzing through hands at fantastic speed. On some tables, you may find yourself a little bored, this won’t ever be the case with this format.

Cons

• The dynamic nature of instantly folding and moving to the next hand makes reading opponents much more difficult. The best players get reads off their opponents based on the information gathered over time. This edge is lost somewhat with this format.
• If you are prone to tilt, you are in for trouble. Without proper care and bankroll management, someone liable to tilt can lose a lot of buyins at snap poker. You need to be strong mentally to be successful at this format.
• The high variance nature is a negative for those of us who like to win money with less risk. Enduring tough runs and 10 buyin down swings are painful and more common here due to the sheer volume of hands being played.