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Introduction
The following basic guidelines will hopefully speed up the learning process for any player new to Hold'em poker.
Is it Luck or Skill?
As Mike Sexton constantly reminds us on The World Poker Tour, “Texas Hold ‘Em is the Cadillac of Poker, it takes minutes to learn and a lifetime to master”. At times the game can appear very simple and may create the illusion that the results are dominated by luck. In the short-term period of a single session or tournament a seasoned professional may lose heavily, whilst a complete beginner may prosper as luck can play a significant part. Over the long-run, luck evens itself out with the difference between winning and losing dependant on skill. The following basic guidelines will hopefully speed up the learning process for any player new to Texas Hold'em Poker.
The Basics
Poker is a game that requires patience and discipline above all else, knowing that there is no need to be involved just because you have been dealt junk for the last hour, and “have” to play a hand. Winners in poker know that they must wait for the right cards or the right opportunity to strike, playing cards simply for the sake of being involved is a long term recipe for financial disaster. The secret to success is then learning how to maximise your earnings on your best hands and having the discipline to cut your losses when you recognise you’ve run into trouble. There is no point being dealt aces only for everyone to fold, or to see a lot of action with your pocket kings, that you can’t lay down when an ace hits the board. As the song says, you’ve gotta know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em.
Texas Hold'em Poker Basic Strategy
Position
The most important consideration in poker, not just Texas Hold ‘Em but any poker variant, is position, whenever you sit down at a table think position, position, position, it is that important. This is not to say that you can’t win from an early position, but the key to success is knowing what all your opponents have already done, so acting last is a great advantage. Obviously you don’t act last every round, and this is where selection of cards is very important. Your position is determined by the dealer button, which moves clockwise round the table one position every round. The most advantageous position is obviously on the button, as this means you are last to act and will know what everyone has done before you and can bet accordingly. What this means in practise is that you have a far greater range of hands that you can play from late position especially when the pot is unraised.
Starting Hands
On a full table of ten players, in general you should be looking to play the following types of hands. The fewer players there are, the lesser your starting requirements need to be, and for heads-up play (one on one) there is no chance of waiting around for great hands. This is why it is easier to learn poker on a full table at first.
Premium Hands
Pair of Aces (pocket rockets, bullets)
Pair of Kings (cowboys)
Pair of Queens (ladies)
Pair of Jacks (hooks)
A-K (ace-king) suited or unsuited (the big slick)
A-Q suited
Fairly Strong Hands
A-Q unsuited
Pair of Tens
A-J suited or unsuited
Pair of 9’s
K-Q suited
A-10 suited
Playable Hands
A-10 unsuited
Pair of 8’s (snowmen) down to Pair of 2’s (ducks)
K-Q unsuited, K-J, K-10
Q-J, Q-10
J-10 suited and any lower suited connecters, 10-9, 9-8, etc..
Ace-small card suited
Other suited connecters, J-9, 10-8, 9-7, etc..
From early position, only the premium hands should be played, but the later you are the more you can widen your starting requirements. The general categories for playable hands fall into:
Big pairs – Aces, Kings & Queens
Limit – these hands should be raised before the flop from any position to get more money into the pot and to reduce the number of opponents. If too many players get the chance to see the flop, there is a fair chance you may not have the best hand afterwards. Don’t be afraid to fold if it looks like you are losing on the flop. If you have a pair of kings and an ace comes out on the flop, with many players still in the pot there is a very good chance someone has made a pair of aces. If players start betting you have to be prepared to throw away that big pair and wait for the next chance. If the flop doesn’t seem dangerous then keep betting.
Pot-limit & No-Limit – there may be times when it is worth the risk of slow playing a big pair but if you try this you must be prepared to accept the consequences if it backfires. If there is a player raising frequently it may be best just calling or checking if you are first to act. If the aggressive player raises, then you can reraise. In contrast to slow playing big pairs, you also do not want to bet too much before the flop because you want action with your best hands.
Medium pairs – Jacks, Tens, Nines & Eights
Limit – These types of hands can be fairly tricky to play at times and in loose games where many players are calling, they are probably best played as if they are small pairs. In limit games it is difficult to reduce the number of opponents in the hand and therefore with many opponents the chance of even a hand as high as tens winning unimproved is small, so you may want to raise in late position if there is an indication of weakness and play the flop accordingly. If the flop comes low you can bet again but often you may have to throw away your hand when overcards come out.
Pot-limit & No-Limit – Again, they can be very difficult to play but in no limit games it is easier to reduce the number of opponents in the pot as you can bet a larger amount before the flop. If there are many players in the pot, it may be better to just call and hope to hit trips on the flop, but again if weakness is indicated throw out a bet of four or five times the big blind, and you may take it down there and then.
Big cards – A-K, A-Q, A-J, K-Q, K-J
Limit – From early position a raise before the flop with A-K or A-Q is appropriate but it is dangerous to play weaker Aces or the likes of K-Q from early position as you could easily run into bigger cards. In middle and later positions many more of these hands become valuable and should be raised. Be careful calling raises with hands like A-10 or Q-J as they are often overrated hands. If the raise is from a conservative player then you are not only likely to be behind, but also likely to be dominated. An example of this may be when you hold K-Q and call a raise from a tight player. If you are up against A-K and a King comes on the flop then you are going to like your hand but are unlikely to win with your Queen kicker. Q-J can be a troublesome hand for the same reasons so should only be played if there has not been a raise and you are in late position. These hands are better played for straightening potential than for top pair, but always be aware in late position that top pair may be good enough.
Pot-limit & No-Limit – Similar guidelines apply with the danger of having a dominated hand, but it may be more serious as it can cost you your entire stack. If you have raised before the flop from late position and only get one or two callers, with a low flop it is sometimes best to bet again on the flop as your opponents may believe you have a big pair. As you can raise more in no limit it is easier to scare other players off, but also has more serious implications if it goes wrong. Again, you wouldn’t want to lead out on the flop from an early position having missed with these in your hand, hence our advice to only play the strongest hands.
Suited Connecters – e.g. 6-7, 9-10, J-Q
Limit – These hands play best in games where many players are in the pot and the pot has not been raised. They should only be played from late position, and most of the time the flop will not be worth staying in on. When a good flop comes down giving you a straight or flush draw, then as long as the pot is large enough to chase (which it should be if there are many players staying in) then you have a hand worth chasing (see the section on pot odds).
Pot-limit & No-Limit – These hands have less value in no limit because if you flop a good draw, you may have to pay too much to chase your card, whereas in limit the bet is much smaller in relation to the pot. However sitting on 6-7 with a flop of 5-8-A is a strong draw giving eight outs to the nuts as long as a flush possibility isn’t there, so calling a reasonable bet is acceptable, as long as you and your opponent both have a good stack in reserve that you can take advantage of if one of your cards drops. Always beware of the board pairing too, this may indicate the full house if the Ace player has limped with a weak ace, say the board was 5-8-A again, you make your straight on the turn with a 4, only for a second 5 to appear on the river, at which point your opponent seems to waken up. It’s not likely he’s playing a five unless there was an ace in his hand also, (he shouldn’t be playing this at all, but not everyone will be as good a player as you!) so he may just have outdrawn you on the river.
Small Pairs – Sevens down to Twos
Limit – Loose games are best for low pairs, but you don’t want to be paying too much to see the flop. If a few players have called (or you expect players after you to call judging by the nature of the game) then you can call and hope to hit three of a kind on the flop. If you miss on the flop you are much less likely to make it on the turn or river, which will also cost you more, so it is normally best to abandon after the flop.
Pot-limit & No-Limit – Small pairs can be excellent in the right type of games when you can see the flop cheaply and there is often a lot of betting on the flop. If a player has raised the pot before the flop, it is usually best to fold. If you hit the flop, there are situations when it is best to bet and other situations where you will need to bet. For example, you make your trips but the flop has two suited cards and a possible straight draw. You will need to bet a fair amount to make them pay the price if they want to catch you up. If the flop presents no obvious dangers, it may be better let another card come out to give other players the chance of making a good second-best hand they are likely to bet with.
Knowing Your Opponents
Knowing how to play the cards will only get you so far until you learn to adapt your game to suit your opponents. The note taking facility is a useful feature as you can categorise opponents by their style of play so the next time you face them you will be better prepared. Whether you are in the hand or not you should be constantly monitoring the other player’s styles. Do they play too many hands? Do they always chase to the River? Do they overrate certain hands? Do they fold most of the time? How often do they bluff?
Bluffing
Pulling off a great bluff can be very satisfying but if it is attempted too often it can become a costly mistake. Some players will attempt to bluff on a regular basis in the hope that when they do hit a good hand, others will not believe it so are more likely to call. The pots won by such players are likely to be bigger than average, but they will also lose more on the hands when their bluffs fail. This risky style of play requires more skill and is likely to cause greater up and down swings. When starting out, a much tighter approach would be safer whereby the pots you win will be smaller but your conservative approach will allow you to get away with the occasional carefully timed bluff.
In low limit games where several players stay in the pot, bluffing is not particularly successful as usually there will be at least one opponent with a good enough hand to call with. As the bets are limited to small fixed amounts, it is harder to bluff in general, whereas in no limit a big raise puts a lot more pressure on an opponent if they only have a marginal hand. In higher limits, the games are generally tighter allowing a greater scope for bluffing. Successful tournament strategy requires the ability to know when and how to bluff, particularly in the later stages as players become worried they may not make it to the money.
Tournament Play
Chip Stack Sizes
An important aspect of tournament play is to adjust your play according to your stack size and your opponent’s stack sizes. If you are low on chips (less than six times the big blind) it is often better to try and make a stand by raising all-in with a mediocre hand rather than waiting to be eaten away by the blinds. If you are lucky enough to have a large stack in comparison to others you can put pressure on the shorter stacks and perhaps take a few more chances. Don’t get careless though as the situation can change very quickly in a no limit tournament and you could quickly find yourself back down to an average stack. Try to avoid getting involved with other big stacks unless you have a premium hand as it is often not worth the risk of potentially ruining a comfortable situation with one needless mistake.
Blind Stealing
As the tournament progresses, the blinds start to become more and more important on the fight for survival. During the first few rounds, the blinds represent only a small proportion of the total chips on the table, so winning them will not make much of a difference to your stack. Towards the end, the pattern of the game often changes to a fierce fight for the blinds as it is often the case that a short stacked player can significantly improve their position by successfully stealing the blinds a couple of times. Players will start to take more chances, particularly in later positions where the likelihood of stealing is increased. Therefore in the early stages of a tournament you can afford to wait for the right opportunities, but later on if you are in trouble you cannot wait around hoping for aces. When you are in late position, no-one has yet called and the players in the blinds tend to fold often, it is often worth considering a steal raise with only mediocre hands.
General Tips
Bankroll
The golden rule is ‘never play with money you can’t afford to lose.’ In games where the limits are too high you may actually play worse as you are too concerned about losing. You may find yourself not taking chances when you know you should be because you are playing ‘scared money.’ Putting yourself under this pressure takes the fun out of the game and is certainly not advisable. If you have aspirations for playing higher limits, take one step at a time and wait until you are consistently doing well at the lower limits before considering moving up. Do not get carried away with a couple of good sessions as short-term fluctuations in luck must be taken into consideration.
Going on Tilt
‘Don’t throw good money after bad’ is another golden rule. Most players are prone to going on tilt every now and again after a bad run of cards or a couple of bad beats. They will start playing too many hands in a desperate attempt to get even. Try to keep your composure at all times and don’t be ruled by your emotions.
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