How To Play Texas Holdem Poker

[Karrde]

I have put together a basic guide to Texas Holdem Poker. Over the next few posts you will find everything you need to know to get you started on this fantastic game.

I am always delighted to answer PMs from new players wishing to get a bit more advice.

[Karrde]

How To Play

Without mincing words, Texas Hold'em is the daddy of all poker games. And the good news is that you don't have to be brainier than Stephen Hawking to play. If you're new to the game, read through the how to play guide below.

The aim of the game

OK, let's start at the beginning. Texas Hold'em is a fast-paced 7-card game that's the most popular, and most exciting, form of poker played today. If you've ever watched poker on the TV, chances are that you've seen Texas Hold'em.
The all important aim of the game is to make the best 5 card hand that you can, using both the two cards that you're dealt face down and the five community cards dealt face up in the middle of the table. But more of that a little later.

The dealer button

Every hand, one player will get the dealer button (a small disk marked with a D). The position of the dealer is important, as the two players to the dealer's left post the blinds. The dealer button moves to the left after each hand, so everyone acts as the virtual dealer and everyone is required to post blinds.

Blinds

The player to the immediate left of the dealer posts the small blind, and the player to their left posts the big blind. The blinds are placed in the pot to kickstart the betting and give players an incentive to enter the hand. They also mean that the winner of hand can never walk away completely empty-handed.
The size of the blinds are dictated by the stakes of the table that you're playing at. The small blind is typically half the minimum bet of the game, while the big blind is typically the same as the game's minimum bet. It's probably best illustrated by an example: if you're playing at a $2/$4 table, the small blind will be $1 and the big blind $2.

The opening deal

Once the blinds have been posted, it's time for some cards. Moving clockwise round the table from the dealer, each player receives two cards dealt face down that only they get to see. These are also called pocket cards or hole cards. It's now time to start some betting. That is why we're here after all.

Betting following the opening deal

At this stage, each player is betting on what hand they feel their pocket cards could lead to. The betting starts with the player to the immediate left of the big blind.
For this round of betting, each player has three choices: to fold, raise, or call the big blind. As the players who posted the blinds have effectively opened the betting, each player has to at least call this bet to stay in the hand, so checking isn't an option at this stage.
The betting goes round the table in a clockwise direction until each player has either called, folded or raised. If no-one has raised by the time the betting returns to the person who posted the big blind, this player may check his own blind, fold or raise.
Once the betting is completed it's time to see the flop.

The flop

Right, now the first round of betting is out of the way, it's time for the flop (things start to get really interesting now). The flop is the set of three cards that are dealt face up in the middle of the table, and each player can use these community cards to build their hand. The middle of the table where these cards are dealt is commonly known as the board.
Now it's time for another round of betting, again at the lower levels of the table stakes. This time, the betting starts with the player to the immediate left of the dealer, regardless of whether the dealer is still active in the hand or not. The player to the left of the dealer will keep the initial action for the rest of the hand. Apart from that, the betting process is the same as pre-flop betting.

The turn card

Once the round of betting has finished, it's time for another card to be dealt face up on the board. This fourth card is called the turn card, and again can be used by all players to construct their hand.

The river

Four down, one to go. It's now time for the fifth and final community card to be dealt: the river. Now that all the cards have been dealt, each player remaining in the hand can now see what their best five card hand is. It's now time for the final round of betting, again at the higher level of the table stakes.

The showdown

Ta da! It's now time to see who's the daddy and takes the pot: the showdown. Each player who's remained in the hand shows their cards, starting with the last person to bet and so on.
If a player wins a pot by default, that is every other player has folded, there is no showdown and the winning player can decide whether to show their cards or not. Most people don't, it's always nice to keep people guessing.

A final note...

If that all seems rather complicated and likely to last an eternity, don't worry. It really is quite simple, and despite a few stages in each hand it passes very quickly.

[Karrde]

Strategies

If you’re new to Texas Hold’em but want to get better, here are some handy tips that have been learnt at the sharp end. Print this out, memorise it; it’s worth it you know.

Very strong starting hands

 Pair of aces (pocket rockets)
 Pair of Kings
 Ace-King on suit
 Pair of Queens
 Pair of Jacks

Strong Starting Hands

 Ace-Queen, Ace-Jack and Ace-10 on suit
 Ace-King off suit
 Pair of tens
 Ace-10, King-Jack, Queen-Jack, Jack-10 on suit
 Ace-Queen, Ace-Jack off-suit
 Pair of nines
 King-Queen off suit
 King-10, Queen-10 on suit

Medium Strength Starting Hands

 Pair of eights
 Jack-9, 10-9 on suit
 Pair of sevens
 9-8, 8-7 on suit
 An ace with any other on suit card
 King-Jack, Queen-Jack, Jack-10 off-suit

Other starting hands that are sometimes worth playing

 Any low pair
 Connected cards in the same suit, for example 8-7, 6-5, 5-4 etc
 Ace-10, King-10, Queen-10 off suit
 King-9, Jack-8 on suit

Starting hands you really shouldn’t play

Basically, anything else. You can still get away with it, and if you’re short stacked and forced to go all-in you may not have much choice, but they should generally be treated with extreme caution.
Always remember, that there’s an inherent degree of luck involved with the game. While playing the percentages should lead to a profitable and rewarding time at the poker tables, bad beats are a part of the game. You can sit there with a pair of aces against a player with 2-7 and watch them flop three of a kind to beat your pocket rockets…

Some basic tips and strategies

 Play cautiously when the game first starts. Settle down, catch the mood of the game. Of course, if you’re a naturally aggressive player, or you catch some decent starting hands, you can go for it from the start. If other players are playing cautiously, you can often force them out early.
 Play aggressively if you’re dealt a strong pre-flop hand, it gets money in the pot early and encourages weak hands to fold. You want those potentially weak hands out of the way; they can still get lucky on the flop.
 If you’re dealt a low pair, play cautiously and only play when the betting is cheap. If you don’t flop a three of a kind or two pairs, it’s probably best to get rid.
 Play aggressively when you have options after the flop. If your hand has a chance of making a straight, flush and three of a kind for example, get raising.
 Watch out for uniform flops like 7,8, 9. Even if you’re holding top pair, someone could easily make a straight.
 Beware of suited flops. If three hearts appear, chances are high that someone somewhere is going to make a flush.
 Getting caught bluffing once in a while isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It can even be worth deliberately getting caught playing a bluff in a certain way, thus making it harder for opponents to read your game. Just don’t throw away too much cash right?
 Study your opponents. Watch how they bet, flop, call and bluff. Do they act quickly, do they take time to act? If you’re looking to play regularly, it’s worth making notes on the players you come across. Having notes to refer back to can give you an edge in future games.
 Don’t be too quick on the fold. If you can see cards for free as everyone’s checking, then do so.
 Don’t look to play every hand. If you haven’t got a decent starting hand, bin it. Save your cash for when you have something worth playing.
 Beware of good hands in large games. If in a full ring game of nine people, six or seven are still in a hand, it’s highly likely that one of the players has a very good hand. Your pair just won’t cut it. Just let go dammit, let go.
 In very short-handed games, or in heads-up play, good hands are hard to come by. That pair of three’s that you thought was a loser may not be so bad after all…
 If you have a losing streak, never never never start playing more aggresively to try to win back your losses. Luck evens itself out over time, play your game and you’ll do OK. Losing your rag is called going off tilt. It’s a bad thing.
 Don’t try to beat other players; let them try to beat you.
 Learn the probabilities of making certain hands in any given situation. A player who plays the odds well, is a player who plays well.
 Play as often as possible, even if it’s only for low stakes. There’s no substitute for experience.
 Vary your playing strategy from time to time. Play the same way all the time, and good players will work you out.
 Make sure that you learn from your losses. They often provide you with more telling information about how to play the game than winning. Whatever happens, don’t give up.
 Never play at a table where you can’t afford to lose. It’ll affect how you play. Adversely that is.

[Karrde]

Ten Top Tips For Tournament Success.

Don’t try to play too many hands.

The cardinal sin in any form of poker, but particularly tournament play, is to try and play too many hands. There’s a fold option, so don’t be afraid to use it.
A good pre-flop strategy is only to play premium hands. In early position (ie one of the first to act), that means you should only be looking to play hands such as AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AKs, TT, AQs, AK, AJs and KQs. If you’re in a later position, you can expand the list a little depending on what has gone on before you. Assuming that no-one’s made a huge raise, hands such as 99, AQ, ATs, QJs are also worth playing if it’s cheap to see the flop.
Always remember, folding is often the best option. Don’t worry when you fold 9-3 and 9-3 come out on the flop; you’ve still made the right decision.

When you do play a hand, play it hard.

When you do get a premium starting hand, you should be looking to make a raise unless there’s already been a large raise before you, in which case a call should do it. If you’re first to act, then start with a raise. Why? Because (a) you want to get some money in the middle if you’ve got a good hand and (b) you want to knock out players with lesser hands, particularly those on the blinds who could otherwise see the flop cheaply. These players may have lesser hands, but they can still get lucky on the flop, so you want them out of the way. Never let people see cards cheaply when you’ve got a good hand. 3 times the big blind is often enough to limit the field to one or two callers, or even to win the pot right there.

Large pocket pair? Raise.

If you’re in early position, and have been dealt a large pocket pair, you want to raise (see above). And if there are already callers before you, the pot may already be reaching a size where you want to try and win the pot there and then without even seeing a flop. With AA, KK or QQ, make a large raise to either scare players off or make them pay through the nose to see more cards, especially as they’re likely to have an lesser hand than you. If everyone folds and you win the pot without seeing any more cards, well that’s a good thing.

One thing to be very cautious of is overcards on the flop. Your monster KK pre-flop is very very vulnerable to a flop with an Ace in it. Even Aces don’t look too pretty if the flop brings Flush or Straight possibilities.

Watch out for raisers and re-raisers.

If someone has raised before you, or re-raised you, only play the hand if you still reasonably expect to have the best of it, as even good starting hands can become vulnerable in this position. Unless you suspect a bluff or poor play, don’t be afraid to lay down a good hand. For example, even if you’ve got something like KQ, you can still be vulnerable to someone with a large pocket pair, AK, AQ etc. Avoid large confrontations unless you’re highly likely to be in the driving seat.
If, however, you’re pretty sure that you are in the driving seat (you’re holding something like AA or KK), then play it strongly and re-raise or move all-in. They’re the best starting hands you can have, so you’re highly likely to be in the lead, which makes this an opportunity too good to pass up. It’s best to act pre-flop; if your opponent folds and you win the pot without a fight (and without bringing lady luck into the equation), then so much the better.

Found a flop you like? Bet big.

Again, it sounds obvious but you should always be doing it. If you made top pair with a strong kicker, three of a kind or a flush, then you should go for it; now is not the time to be hanging back. Of course, always look for dangerous flops which makes a straight or flush draw increasingly likely.
You may decide, from time to time, to “slow-play” a hand. For example, you’ve got a pocket pair and you make three of a kind on the flop. You’re now highly likely to have the best hand, but if everyone else if checking (especially if the flop isn’t much help, ie 2-6-9 in different suits) you may also wish to check in the hope that someone else catches a worthy, but inferior hand. One thing to watch for; make sure that you’re not giving someone a cheap way to make a better hand than you, so keep an eye out for possible flush or straight draws.

Know when to bluff.

Bluffing tends to work best when there’s something on the board that makes a bluff convincing. For example, if you get to the river and you’re trying to make a straight but miss, and want to bluff, continue to bet as though you made the straight. The cards on the board should act in a way to help your make your bluff that little bit more believable. Bluffing when there’s nothing doing isn’t recommended.

Keep an eye on your chip stack.

Always, always, know how many chips you have and play accordingly. For example, if you’re short-stacked and only have 1,000 chips remaining and blinds of 400/800 are coming to you, you need to make a stand on the next two half-decent cards or face being all-in on the small blind, forced to play anything that comes your way. Also, it’s often best to play a hand while you can still make at least a reasonable raise rather than get to the point where you’re struggling to cover the blinds. Any raise from that situation will always meet with many callers, thus reducing your chances of winning the hand.
Similarly, if you’ve got a lot of chips compared to other players at the table, don’t be afraid to use them to put them into some unpleasant situations.

The later things get, the more the blinds are worth.

Another one from the school of the bleeding obvious. The higher the blinds, the more important they are. For example, blind stealing can be a more profitable activity towards the later stages (and hence the risk levels are more acceptable) and if you’re on the big blind, it can sometimes be worth defending your investment in the pot even if you don’t have a premium hand.

Be brave. Even if it could mean going out.

Whenever you’re put to a decision for all your chips, that decision is not going to be easy. But always have courage. If you’ve played sensibly and are reasonably sure that you’ve got the goods, then play the hand even in the face of aggressive play from an opponent. Just because they’re making big raises, doesn’t mean you should automatically back down because you don’t want to go out. To win any tournament, it’s likely that you’ll have to take the odd risk.

Sometimes it’s best to let other people do your dirty work.

While you should always be brave, the aim of the tournament player is to not get eliminated and finish as high as you can, ideally in the money. If two or more players on your table are slugging it out and going all-in, you might want to consider folding and letting them get on with it no matter what cards you have. After all, you’ll be one place closer to your goal and there’s no risk. This is especially true for the latter stages of a tournament, where each place you move up is taking you nearer and nearer to the money.

[Karrde]

Glossary of poker terms:

http://conjelco.com/pokglossary.html

[thelip]

Fantastic work Karrde. Once again showing your in depth knowledge of the game. This should be a real help to beginners and regular players alike.

[thelip]

Another thing that may be useful for beginners

Hand Hierarchy

Royal Flush
Straight Flush
Four-of-a-Kind
Full House
Flush
Straight
Three-of-a-Kind
Two Pair
One Pair
High Card


http://www.texasholdem-poker.com/handrank.php

[Karrde]

Ever wonderd what the chances of catching a flush when you are dealt 2 clubs? Do you know how likely your Ace King is to make a pair to beat that Queen Queen you are up against?

http://poker-odds.flopturnriver.com/

This will help you out. And also contains links to more complex calculations for those that want to play around with odds.

[UncleTupelo]

Interesting stuff. I though the odds of a Flush Draw on the Turn or River would have been better than that (actually 35% - I assumed nearer 50%).

So basically I have been playing those hands wrong!

[CanaryYellow]

The bottom percentage is blatantly wrong AKo vs 72o 67% vs 33%? Do they not know the power of 72o?

[lucky knight]

question

as a beginner im unaware of how to go about this

if i get say AA or a good equivilant KK or something expecting i have a great chance of winning how do i bet to get the most out of my opponents? especially say if on the flop an A comes out and im sure i have the best hand, i dont want to bet high to scare them off but i dont want to bet check pretending i dont have much cause then i wont win much, is it basically i got to hope the opponent have a good hand but not as good as mine?

[anon6]

question

as a beginner im unaware of how to go about this

if i get say AA or a good equivilant KK or something expecting i have a great chance of winning how do i bet to get the most out of my opponents? especially say if on the flop an A comes out and im sure i have the best hand, i dont want to bet high to scare them off but i dont want to bet check pretending i dont have much cause then i wont win much, is it basically i got to hope the opponent have a good hand but not as good as mine?

the old age question...."I have the best hand....how do I extract the most money possible"

the old age answer...."it depends"

[zipnolan]

question

as a beginner im unaware of how to go about this

if i get say AA or a good equivilant KK or something expecting i have a great chance of winning how do i bet to get the most out of my opponents? especially say if on the flop an A comes out and im sure i have the best hand, i dont want to bet high to scare them off but i dont want to bet check pretending i dont have much cause then i wont win much, is it basically i got to hope the opponent have a good hand but not as good as mine?

No - you have to convince him either that he has a better hand than you, or that he can bluff you off the best hand. Or you can just accept the small pot. Of your two choices, I would say that checking would be the standard move if you really have the nuts - with aces you may have the best hand right now, but you won't necessarily win a big pot. Obviously the danger of checking is that his hand might improve to beat yours, so be more inclined to bet if it looks like there are flush or straight draws out there.

Of course you can always try a massive overbet and try to make it seem like you are bluffing - but that is unlikely to work except in the worst of games.

[anon6]

Of course you can always try a massive overbet and try to make it seem like you are bluffing - but that is unlikely to work except in the worst of games.

or unless you are playing karrde

[Karrde]

Getting your good hands paid after the flop is as 1086 says a "depends" situation. Things such as:

The flop itself (does it have draws?)
Position
Stack sizes
Profile of your opponents (loose, tight, aggressive, passive)
Number of people who see the flop
Was the pot raised or unraised pre flop
Type of game (eg an mtt rebuy period and cash are different beasts)

All come into play before you even think about your own situation.

Just remember to mix up your play. Your aim is to confuse your opponents as much as possible. Basicly you can make him think you are representing a monster or that you are weak. You can only guage how to do that according to what you know about the table. You would be suprised how easy it is to make "looking strong" rather than "being strong" into a powerful weapon.

I probably wouldnt check Aces if a third one comes. My opinion is that there are more ways to fox your opponent into paying you off by pumping the pot... as to how much... it depends

Final point. Unless you really love danger, always raise pre flop with these hands. If you limp pre flop with Aces you will never be sure where you are.

[anon6]

like i said

unless you are playing karrde

[Karrde]

Of course you can always try a massive overbet and try to make it seem like you are bluffing - but that is unlikely to work except in the worst of games.

or unless you are playing karrde

You can accuse me of being too tight and easily bluffed, but one thing I rarely do is call my money away.

The overwhelming majority of my tournament exits are when people call me (and the bustards are usually behind at the time )

[anon6]

The overwhelming majority of my tournament exits are when people call me (and the bustards are usually behind at the time )

That's very true actually. Karrde is not such a bad player.

[lucky knight]

thanks for the advice guys, ive been playing for a week now and the question i asked was one of my problems as well as not knowing when to walk away, ill double or treble my pot and get to greedy like i do in most betting i do

[Mike_]

question

as a beginner im unaware of how to go about this

if i get say AA or a good equivilant KK or something expecting i have a great chance of winning how do i bet to get the most out of my opponents? especially say if on the flop an A comes out and im sure i have the best hand, i dont want to bet high to scare them off but i dont want to bet check pretending i dont have much cause then i wont win much, is it basically i got to hope the opponent have a good hand but not as good as mine?

I would tend to just bet out on the flop.

[Karrde]

as well as not knowing when to walk away, ill double or treble my pot and get to greedy like i do in most betting i do

Im afraid that will only get better with experience.

[lucky knight]

out of interest what sites do you lot use for poker? and what kind of stakes?

[Karrde]

Fiso games are always played on Pokerstars. There is a thread in the poker forum about the stakes people play at.

Personally im only in it to pass some time. I play the $3 rebuy and $5 -$10 Sit n Goes.

[anon6]

out of interest what sites do you lot use for poker? and what kind of stakes?

Pokerstars is best for MTT (multi table tournaments). Huge prizes, and an equally huge number of players.

[lucky knight]

im a really bad player! i need some seriously good tips!

[forestfan]

im a really bad player! i need some seriously good tips!

Obviously depends on the type of game e.g. cash or tournament among other things, but for a beginner at low stakes my biggest tip would be to play tight (i.e. not get involved in too many hands) and aggressive (when you do get involved in a hand, play it strongly - start the betting yourself or raise rather than calling, in most cases).

Lots of players at low stakes are loose passive, they will play a lot of hands and call a lot. These are the players you will take money off, you just have to accept the fact that they will get lucky on occasions but in the long run will be donating money to the rest of the table.