Texas Hold'em Review - Starting Out
Review - Starting Out Texas Hold’em poker is by far the most played poker game online.
It is an easy game to learn, but takes a lot of practice to master. Because of the many community cards, successful Hold’em play comes from being able to read the community cards, along with your opponent, in determining what he/she has. In this article, we give you tips about winning strategies.
Play Strong Starting Hands:
Hold’em cannot be without strong starting hands. This is the key to the success. Since the betting position is fixed for the entire hand, and acting late is a significant advantage, you might raise in late position with a hand that you would throw away if you had to play them before most of your opponents were forced to act.
Follow suited cards, all else are (almost) equal:
Due to their capabilities and possibilities of flush-making, suited hands are, of course, more valuable than unsuited hands of the same rank. You should try to raise before the flop with any pair of Aces, Kings, Queens, Jacks and Tens. You can reraise the hand if you are holding a pair of Aces, Kings or Queens in your hand and someone has already raised the hand. Reraising also protects your hand by thinning the field and thus minimizing the chances of anyone getting lucky on the flop.
Excellent start: Bigger pairs:
Even any novice can easily say that any pair of tens or higher are excellent starting hands. In order to reduce number of opponents, bet or raise. Now here are two important points: Big pairs play better against a small field while straight and flush draws play better against the opponents.
Improve your small and medium pairs to win:
Big pairs, like Queens, Kings or Aces rarely need improvement to win at all, especially if a card bigger than your pocket pair does not appear among the cards in the center of the table. However, smaller pairs, like sevens or sixes, will definitely require improvement to win. The odds of winning such pairs are like 7.5-to-1.
Unsuited high cards:
Even if you have a hand like K-J, you can play it if nobody has yet raised. But be aware of the fact that you would probably throw them away if you’re forced to call two bets in order to see the flop. Of course, if you’ve called one bet and a player who acts after you raise, you should call and decide what to do after you’ve seen the flop. Be dare to call a raise with A-K or A-Q, and raise with these hands whenever you can.
Do not like suited connectors very much:
Suited connectors, like 8s and 9s are generally better hands to play from a late position when a lot of players are already in the pot. However, they shouldn’t be played if you have to call a raise in order to enter the pot.
Best time to raise:
Use your power. If you are holding a suited Ace with a King, Queen, or Jack, or a suited King with a Queen, raise before the flop. You can raise when holding an Ace with a King or Queen, or a King with a Queen, in case your cards are unsuited. If you are in late position, and no one else has entered the pot, you can raise with any pair at all, as well as with an Ace and any kicker, and a King with a Queen, Jack, Ten or Nine. If no one improves, your Ace and King are likely to be the best hand.
Hold’em: Fit-or-Fold Game:
About seventy-one percent of your hand will be defined on the flop. For this reason, hold’em is a "bet-raise-or-fold" game. If the flop does not improve your hand, or provide four cards to a flush or a straight, you should probably abandon your hand.
Play on the turn:
On the turn, you should bet if either you believe you have the best hand, or you believe there is a chance your bet will cause your opponents to fold. Consider checking the intention of raising at the table to feel assured that one of your opponents will bet after you check.
Playing on the river:
If you’re still contesting the pot while awaiting that river card, you should have a strong hand, or a draw to what you believe will be the best hand if you make it. If you cannot decide whether to call an opponent’s bet on the river, it’s better to enter by calling because a mistake in judgment costs only one additional bet, while folding a winning hand costs the entire pot. But if you are chasing a straight, or flush-draw that never materialized, throw your hand away if someone bets.
It is an easy game to learn, but takes a lot of practice to master. Because of the many community cards, successful Hold’em play comes from being able to read the community cards, along with your opponent, in determining what he/she has. In this article, we give you tips about winning strategies.
Play Strong Starting Hands:
Hold’em cannot be without strong starting hands. This is the key to the success. Since the betting position is fixed for the entire hand, and acting late is a significant advantage, you might raise in late position with a hand that you would throw away if you had to play them before most of your opponents were forced to act.
Follow suited cards, all else are (almost) equal:
Due to their capabilities and possibilities of flush-making, suited hands are, of course, more valuable than unsuited hands of the same rank. You should try to raise before the flop with any pair of Aces, Kings, Queens, Jacks and Tens. You can reraise the hand if you are holding a pair of Aces, Kings or Queens in your hand and someone has already raised the hand. Reraising also protects your hand by thinning the field and thus minimizing the chances of anyone getting lucky on the flop.
Excellent start: Bigger pairs:
Even any novice can easily say that any pair of tens or higher are excellent starting hands. In order to reduce number of opponents, bet or raise. Now here are two important points: Big pairs play better against a small field while straight and flush draws play better against the opponents.
Improve your small and medium pairs to win:
Big pairs, like Queens, Kings or Aces rarely need improvement to win at all, especially if a card bigger than your pocket pair does not appear among the cards in the center of the table. However, smaller pairs, like sevens or sixes, will definitely require improvement to win. The odds of winning such pairs are like 7.5-to-1.
Unsuited high cards:
Even if you have a hand like K-J, you can play it if nobody has yet raised. But be aware of the fact that you would probably throw them away if you’re forced to call two bets in order to see the flop. Of course, if you’ve called one bet and a player who acts after you raise, you should call and decide what to do after you’ve seen the flop. Be dare to call a raise with A-K or A-Q, and raise with these hands whenever you can.
Do not like suited connectors very much:
Suited connectors, like 8s and 9s are generally better hands to play from a late position when a lot of players are already in the pot. However, they shouldn’t be played if you have to call a raise in order to enter the pot.
Best time to raise:
Use your power. If you are holding a suited Ace with a King, Queen, or Jack, or a suited King with a Queen, raise before the flop. You can raise when holding an Ace with a King or Queen, or a King with a Queen, in case your cards are unsuited. If you are in late position, and no one else has entered the pot, you can raise with any pair at all, as well as with an Ace and any kicker, and a King with a Queen, Jack, Ten or Nine. If no one improves, your Ace and King are likely to be the best hand.
Hold’em: Fit-or-Fold Game:
About seventy-one percent of your hand will be defined on the flop. For this reason, hold’em is a "bet-raise-or-fold" game. If the flop does not improve your hand, or provide four cards to a flush or a straight, you should probably abandon your hand.
Play on the turn:
On the turn, you should bet if either you believe you have the best hand, or you believe there is a chance your bet will cause your opponents to fold. Consider checking the intention of raising at the table to feel assured that one of your opponents will bet after you check.
Playing on the river:
If you’re still contesting the pot while awaiting that river card, you should have a strong hand, or a draw to what you believe will be the best hand if you make it. If you cannot decide whether to call an opponent’s bet on the river, it’s better to enter by calling because a mistake in judgment costs only one additional bet, while folding a winning hand costs the entire pot. But if you are chasing a straight, or flush-draw that never materialized, throw your hand away if someone bets.
posted by Destroyed-love | 1:10 AM
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