| Before the Flop: Starting Hands:
Position, Patience and Power are the key to winning
in Texas Hold'em. The most important decision you
will make is choosing to play a starting hand. The
biggest mistake a player makes is playing too many
hands. Being aware that your Position in relation
to the dealer is important in Texas Hold'em. You
need a stronger hand to act from early position
because you have more players acting after you who
may raise or re-raise the pot. It is important that
you are Patient and wait for Powerful starting hands
to play from the correct position.
The player to the left of the big blind acts
first before the flop. He along with the other two
players to his left are in early position. The next
three players are middle position and the ones after
that are late position.
The blinds act last before the flop and first
after it. Here are some guidelines for stating hands
that I recommend you play when you are starting
out. They are fairly tight but will give you a good
foundation to work with until you learn a little
more about the game.
In Early position
Raise with A-A, K-K and A-Ks from any position.
(s denotes suited cards) Call with A-K, A-Qs, K-Qs
and Q-Q J-J, T-T and fold everything else.
In Middle position
Call with, 9-9, 8-8, A-Js, A-Ts, Q-Js, A-Q, K-Q
In Late position
Call with A-Xs, K-Ts, Q-Ts, J-Ts, A-J, A-T and
small pairs. (note x denotes any card) It takes
a stronger hand to call a raise than it does to
make with one, If there is a raise before it is
your turn to act you should fold. Why put in two
bets with marginal hands?
Note:
Many players will play any two suited cards from
any position and they will play an Ace with any
small kicker. These hands are losers in the long
run and you should avoid getting into the habit
of playing them. They are traps that will cost you
money.
The Blinds
Once you post your blind the money no longer
belongs to you. Many players feel they must defend
their blinds by calling all raises even with marginal
hands. Don't waste additional money on marginal
hands. Also, don't automatically call with the small
blind if you have nothing. Saving a half bet will
pay for your next small blind.
The Flop
Deciding whether to continue playing after seeing
the flop will be your second biggest decision. It
can also be one of the most costly decisions if
you continue after the flop with an inferior hand.
It is said that the flop defines your hand. That
is because after the flop your hand will be 71 percent
complete. Where does this figure come from? Assuming
you play your hand out to the end, it will consist
of seven cards. After the flop you have seen five
cards or 5/7 of the final hand, which is equal to
71 percent. With this much of your hand complete
you should have enough information to determine
whether to continue. Poker Author Shane Smith coined
the phrase "Fit or Fold. If the flop does not fit
your hand by giving you top pair, or better or a
straight or flush draw, then you should fold if
thee is a bet in front of you. If you played a small
pair from late position and you do not flop a third
one to make a set you should throw the pair away
if there is a bet.
The Turn
If you think you have the best hand after seeing
the Turn card and are first to act, then go ahead
and bet. Many players will try to get fancy and
attempt to check raise in this position. If the
other players also check, you have lost a bet or
two. In low limit games the straight forward approach
is usually the best as there are plenty of players
who will call you. Make them pay. Why give them
a free card if you don't have to. If another player
raises on the turn and you hold only one pair you
are more than likely beaten and should fold. If
you get to the Turn and you hold only two unsuited
overcards (two cards higher that any cards on the
board) with no flush or straight draw, then you
should fold if there is a bet in front of you. Too
much money is lost by players who hope to catch
a miracle card on the river. The best hand you can
make with two unsuited overcards is a pair which
will probably lose anyways.
The River
If you have been playing properly you will not
see the river card unless you have a strong hand
that is a favorite to win or you have a draw to
a winning hand. Once the river card is turned over,
you know exactly what you have. If you were drawing
to a hand you know whether you were successful or
not. Obviously if you do not make your hand you
will fold. As with the Turn you should bet your
hand if you are first to act. If you bet and the
other player folds then they more than likely would
have just checked if you had checked in an attempt
to check raise. When you get to the river there
are two mistakes that you can make. One is to call
a losing bet, which will cost you the price of a
bet. The other is to fold your hand, which will
cost you all the money in the pot. Obviously folding
your hand will be a far more costly mistake then
merely calling a bet. If there is a slight chance
you may have the winning hand you should call. I'm
not advocating calling with nothing but you should
call if there is a chance to win. --Reading The
Board Your ability to read the board will help
make you a winning player and it is not hard to
learn. Since Texas Hold'em is played with community
cards turned up for all to see you can easily determine
the best possible hand that can be made from the
board cards and two unseen cards. It is extremely
important that you learn determine how your hand
stacks up against the other possible hands that
your opponents may hold. Two situations should send
up a red flag when you see them. If there are three
suited cards on the board someone can make a flush.
If a player raises when the third suited card is
turned over you should be wary of continuing. If
there is a pair on the board a player can make four
of a kind or a full house. Pay Attention When you
are not involved in a hand you should still pay
attention to the game. You can gain valuable information
about your opponents simply by observing what hands
they play. It's easy to determine the players who
plays and suited cards, or single aces by watching
the hands they turn over at the end. That brings
me to one final tip. NEVER SHOW YOUR HAND if you
don't have to. If you win the pot because everyone
else folded you are under no obligation to show
your cards. You don't want to give away any information
about yourself if you don't have to And player who
turn over their cards when they don't have to are
doing just that.
Continuing Education
It is impossible to learn to play expert Hold'em
by reading this short article. However I hope that
a few of the tips will help you improve your game
if you already play or get you started on the right
track if you are just starting out. Learning to
play winning Texas Hold'em requires reading and
studying. If you read just one book about the game
you will be ahead of about 80 percent of the other
payers at the table. Spending the money for a good
poker book is a lot cheaper than trying to get your
education at the tables in a live game.
|
