1-
Texas Holdem Starting Hands
The first thing a Holdem player should learn
is which cards are worth playing, and which should be folded. Many beginning players stay in a hand with cards that have little
or no future, and it ends up showing in their chip count.
2- The Importance of Seat Position
So you are sitting at a $3/$6
Hold'em table, and the cards are dealt. You decide that with your hand, it is worth $3 to see the flop. You call. The next
two players fold, the following player raises. Now you decide that it isn't really worth $6 to see the flop, and you wish
you had never placed a bet in the first place.
3- Reading the Board
Good Hold'em players can 'Read the Board', and they know what hands might be lurking out there at the table
ready to show themselves and take the pot. They also know what hands can not be possible, and so they know not to worry defending
against them.
4- Bluffing
In poker it's not only what's
in your hand that counts, but also what people think is in your hand. If you bet as though you have good cards, other players
just may believe you do have good cards. Therein lies the essence of bluffing.
5- The Odds of Making Your Hand
In the game of Hold'em there are plenty of
times you will need a card to show itself on the flop, turn, or the river. For instance, you may need to know the odds of
catching that club on the river for the flush, or flopping the third 8 to go with the two in your hand. In order to compute
the odds of finding the card you need on the board, you will need to know two things...
6- Pot Odds - What are Pot Odds
and what should you know about them?
Starting hands in Texas Holdem
The first thing a Holdem player should learn
is what cards to play, and what cards to fold! Many beginning players stay in a hand with cards that have little or no future.
The best tip for players new to Texas Holdem is FOLD A LOT! Next thing to remember is that no two cards are unbeatable, and
if the flop does not add any value to your hole cards, or make it possible to get the best possible hand, you should fold
after the flop.
The best starting hands are:
Large Pairs - Aces, Kings, Queens, Jacks.
Even pairs of tens and nines and eights are high quality starting hands. Play them.
Aces with suited High Cards - When you get
an Ace with a K,Q,J, or even a ten, many good things can happen. You already have high card. If a flush comes, you'll have
the best possible one because of your ace. High straights, and even a straight flush is possible with these cards. Play them.
Suited Faces Cards and Tens-While it's nicer
to have an ace, suited face cards are playable hands. They hold lots of potential, high pair with a strong kicker,straights,and
flushes.
Aces with unsuited High Cards - Aces with
an unsuited partner can still give you top pair with a high kicker, or a high straight. Because other players may also have
an ace, the strength of the second card in your hand is important. If two players tie, that second card, or 'kicker' will
decide the winner. This is why A-10 is a playable hand, and A-6 is not. (A-10 can also turn into a high straight). So while
aces are highly sought after, do not feel the need to play every hand in which you are dealt an ace.
King with Face Card -A King with a Queen,
or Jack is a playable hand. But, it is not as strong as you may think. Still, two face cards rank high enough that seeing
the flop is a good idea.
These are the strongest starting hands in
Texas Holdem. Other hands are playable depending on the circumstances at the table, but beginners may want to stick to playing
only these premium hands until they understand the game more fully. Playing these hands will not guarantee that you will be
a winner. Poker doesn't work that way. Even pairs of Aces get beaten. But, if you want to win a pot, finding any of the cards
listed on the chart in your hand is a good place to start.
The Importance of Seat Position
So you are sitting at a $3/$6 Hold'em table,
and the cards are dealt. You decide that with your hand, it is worth $3 to see the flop. You call. The next two players fold,
the following player raises. Now you decide that it isn't really worth $6 to see the flop, and you wish you had never placed
a bet in the first place. That is difference table position makes. Had you already known someone was going to raise, you would've
saved three dollars that hand by simply folding. Knowing what your opponents are going to do makes a difference.
A full Hold'em table is broken into three
pieces. The first three players are said to be in Early Position. They must act before most of their opponents. Because they
are acting first, players in early position should avoid playing marginal hands. After all, there are up to nine more hands
at the table to contend with. Instead, players in early position should limit themselves to playing only premium hands.
The next set of players at the table are
said to be in Middle Position. They have seen some of their opponents act, so they have an idea of what they are up against.
If no one has raised, players in middle position do not need to limit themselves to only the premium starting hands. Another
advantage of middle position is that there are fewer players who have not acted, and so the chances that someone will raise
you are lower.
The last set of players are said to be in
Late Position. They have the advantage of having seen most of their opponents already act. The very last player to act has
the most advantage that table position can offer. They have seen everyone act and should they decide to call a bet there is
no chance of someone raising them. Players in late position can play a wider range of starting hands because they already
know how many opponents they will be facing.
The general guide is to play very tight in
Early Position sticking to only the best starting hands. In Middle Position play good starting hands, but they need not be
the very best. In Late Position players can afford to play more loosely.
Of course there are different betting strategies
that can be used depending on your table postion and the actions of your opponents, but the first thing to understand is that
where you are seated in relation to the dealer makes a difference. You can improve your game right away by simply paying attention
to your table position.
Reading the Board
Good Hold'em players can 'Read the Board',
and they know what hands might be lurking out there at the table ready to show themselves and take the pot. They also know
what hands can not be possible, and so they know not to worry defending against them.
How can you tell what hands are possible,
and what ones are not? Here are some simple guidelines to get you started.
Pairs on the Board - if there are a pair
of cards on the board, someone may have a Four-of-a-Kind. If there are no pairs on the board, no one can have a Four-of-a-Kind.
Pairs on the board also make a Full House
possible. Both of these hands are very strong, so when the board pairs pay attention. Someone may be holding a monster hand.
Three of a Suit - is what is necessary for
a flush. Sometimes when the suited community cards are not particularly impressive, say 2-7-9 of clubs, it becomes easy to
overlook the potential flush in your opponents hands.
Sequence Cards - the cards that make a straight
possible. If the cards on the board only have two 'holes' in a string of five consecutive cards, someone may be holding those
cards and just may have that straight. So, when cards like 9-J-Q show themselves on the board, beware that an opponent may
be holding the 'missing' 10-K in their hand.
Of course you know what cards are in your
hand, and that can help you deduce what cards your opponents may have.
Bluffing
Sometimes nothing can be a very
cool hand!
In poker it's not only what's in your hand
that counts, but also what people think is in your hand. If you bet as though you have good cards, other players just may
believe you do have good cards. Therein lies the essence of bluffing.
Of course there are good times to bluff and
bad times as well. Here are a few insights into bluffing:
Don't:
- Bluff bad players. Bad players don't necessarily
know when they are beaten. So even though you may present yourself as having the stronger hand, they simply may not notice
or may not care.
- Expect bluffs to work in low limit hold'em.
If the cost to see your cards is not significant, why should your bet (or raise) keep anyone from paying to see them?
- Try to bluff many players. You may fool
some of them, but if you don't fool everyone you are in trouble.
Do:
- Bluff when the board says "someone" might
have made a good hand. An example is when the third of a suit hits the board. "Someone" might have a flush. If you bet as
if you have the flush, the other players may believe you do.
- Bluff against good or tight players. If
you are in a pot with a player that looks for a reason to fold, give them one. Try betting big and making them think you have
something they cannot beat.
Bluffing is something that is done between
players, so the more you know your opponent's habits the better. If a player is a 'calling station' and always calls the bet
so they can get to the next card or see the showdown, don't bother trying to bluff them.
If players have caught you bluffing recently,
they will remember it. If you try to bluff again too soon do not be surprised if someone calls you, just to 'keep you honest'.
Of course this can be used to your advantage. If you find yourself with good cards right after being caught bluffing, you
are more likely to have players call your bets, rewarding you with a bigger pot.
Some circumstances have risen as 'typical'
bluffing situations. They can be used to your advantage, but veteran players may recognize the play and use it against you.
Typical bluffs include:
- Sitting in late position pre-flop. Everyone
folds before you. You then bet big, knowing that there are only two players competing against you and that they didn't bet
because they liked their hand. They bet because they had to. The players may interpret your big bet as a sign of strength
and simply fold. You will have "stolen the blinds".
- Betting big from last position after everyone
else has checked. You can interpret their checks as a lack of confidence in their cards. They may interpret your bet as a
strong hand and fold. Bluffing is an art, and it spices up the game of poker. Make bluffing a part of your arsenal, but not
your only weapon at the poker table.
The
Odds of Making Your Hand
In the game of Hold'em there are plenty of
times you will need a card to show itself on the flop, turn, or the river.
For instance, you may need to know the odds
of catching that club on the river for the flush, or flopping the third 8 to go with the two in your hand. In order to compute
the odds of finding the card you need on the board, you will need to know two things. The first is how many 'Outs' you have.
'Outs' are simply the number of cards that
can 'make' your hand. If you are looking for that flush on the river, there are 9 cards that can help you. (13 clubs in the
deck - 4 clubs in your hand or on the board = 9 clubs remaining).
The second thing to know is the number of
unseen cards. Since two cards are in your hand, and four are on the board, there are 46 card remaining. (52-2=50 followed
by 50- 4=46).
Now computing the odds is a simple division
problem. 9 cards that can help, divided by 46 cards out there, equals 19.6%. (9÷46=19.56%). That's how you do it. Ok, 9÷46
isn't so simple, but still, that's how it's done.
Information you can use right away:
• Flush: If you hold a four flush,
the odds of catching it on the turn are 19.1%, on the river is 19.6%. Catching it on the turn or the river is 35.0%
• Open-Ended Straight: Odds of catching
your card on the turn, 17.0%. On the river, 17.4%. On the turn or the river, 31.5%
• Gutshot Straight: Catching your card
on the turn, 8.5%. Catching your card on the river, 8.7%. Catching it on the turn or the river, 16.5%
• Trips: Turn your pair into Three-of-a-Kind
on the turn, 4.3%. Catch at the river, 4.3%. Catch at the turn or the river, 8.4%. With pocket pairs it is more likely you'll
want to catch on the flop. Odds of that are 11.8%
Pot Odds
What are Pot Odds and what should you
know about them?
Well, Pot Odds is the ratio of what is already
in the pot to the amount you would have to bet to stay in the hand. So, if there are $36 in the pot, and you would need to
bet $6 to stay in the hand, the pot odds are 36 to 6, or 6 to 1.
Why would you need to know this?
One example of using pot odds is when your
hand is not yet the best hand at the table, but it could be if the right card comes up next. For instance, with four cards
on the board you hold four clubs. The odds of completing the flush on the river are roughly 5 to 1 against you. That means
for you to bet there should be at least five times the bet amount in the pot. If the bet to you is $2, then there should be
at least $10 in the pot to make it worth calling.
Suppose there were $24 in the pot when you
were making that decision. The odds of landing that club and getting the best hand at the table were 5 to 1. The pot would
pay you 12 to 1 on your bet. That makes calling the bet the right decision to make. You may not land your club and win the
hand, but over the long run playing this way will be to your advantage.
Another instance of using pot odds is after
the river, when the final bet comes to you. If the pot holds $40, and the bet in front of you is $4, you can use pot odds
to decide what to do. The pot is laying you Ten to One odds. ($40 against your $4 bet). Even though you feel your opponent
may have the better hand, do you think he is ten times more likely to have a better hand? If so, fold. If not, call the bet
and see his cards.
There are plenty of times at the poker table
when you will be asking yourself, "Is it worth staying in this hand?". Being able to use pot odds will help you answer that
question correctly more often.
