Poker eLife

Growing up as a kid I played many different types of games. From card games, base ball, basketball, football, poker, chess, backgammon, many different types of board games and others I just cannot remember. I can remember playing mostly poker and backgammon during college. It seems as you get older your game selection among you and your friends get to be a short list of the ones you have the opportunity to play. Let’s then fast forward to today with computers and internet. The access to games and how we play them has been changed forever since the creation of these mediums for games. If you are like most we partake in electronic games like card solitare just to name one of the original games that come on a computer. Now we have multiplayer card games on the internet that include poker, texas holdem among others. Since Television has started covering poker, this has become a popular game online and young people are taking part to become professionals. I could also say that Texas Hold’em Poker is now a household name. There are many online poker sites like BeboGame. You can play Chess and Texas Hold’em poker online with others like yourself that want to play heads up with another person. The cool part is the other person could be in the next state or another continent. They also have sports, adventure, puzzles, shooter games and many other games. This gaming site is like you hit the game playing smorgisboard. If you want to follow me on BeboGame and play me, I will be glad to oblige, user  S513. If you ever thought of playing games and making money there is even an affiliate program to join and take part with free chips and possible money payouts. What more could you ask from a game site. See this link for their affiliate information, be sure to sign up.

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 of your Position in relationhip 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 in 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 completed 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 there 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 draws, 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.

In Texas Hold’em, there are two face-down cards for each player and five face-up community cards. The player who makes the best five-card poker hand with any combination of their two face-down cards and the five community cards wins the round. In a Texas Hold’em game, a disc or other marker is used to indicate which person is the “dealer” for the round. There are no antes in Hold’em, instead, forced bets called blinds are used. Before the cards are dealt, the person to the left of the dealer posts a bet called the small blind, which is usually equal to half of the minimum bet. The person to the left of the small blind posts the big blind, which is equal to the minimum bet.

The first two cards are dealt to each player face down (these are called the hole cards), and the person to the left of the big blind starts the first round of betting. (Notice that the big blind and small blind do not get to look at their cards before betting, thus the term “blind”). In the first round of betting, each player has three options: call, raise or fold. To call, the player must place a bet that is equal to the last bet placed. (For the first player in the round, this would be equal to the minimum bet.) A player may choose to raise their call bet by an additional amount, which the other players will then have to call. If one’s hole cards are not favorable, the player may simply choose to fold and sit out the round. After all the players have finished the first round of betting, the first three community cards are dealt face-up on the board.

This is called the flop. The second and all subsequent betting rounds start with the first player to the dealer’s left, and players now has the option to check. By checking, the player indicates interest in the pot without placing a be Any player may choose to place a bet, which the other players must then call.

Players can still raise, if a bet has been made, or fold, if their hand is not favorable. After the second betting round, the fourth community card is dealt face-up (this is called the turn card). In limit games, the minimum bet doubles in the last two rounds of betting. After the third betting round, the fifth and final community card is dealt (this is called the river card). A final round of betting ensues, and afterwards each player turns their hole cards face up. The highest hand that can be made with any combination of  a player’s hole cards and the five community cards wins the pot.

If two or more players have the same hand, the next highest card in the
player’s hand (the kicker) is used to break a tie. If there is no kicker card (the tied players have used both hole cards, or have the exact same hand), then the pot is split between them. The dealer button is then passed clockwise to the next player and another round of play begins. There are three kinds of Hold’em games. In Limit games, bets and raises are set at a fixed amount. A typical limit game would be $10/$20 ($10 minimum bet for the first two rounds, and $20 minimum for the last two rounds.) The big blind would be equal to the minimum bet ($10) and the small blind would be half the minimum bet ($5). Each round of betting is capped at a maximum number of raises, depending on the rules of the game. In online Hold’em games, raises are generally capped at four bets per round. New players will start with low-limit games and gradually work their way up to higher limits as their skill progresses.

In No Limit Hold’em, the maximum bet is determined by the number of chips you have in front of you. Players can bet and raise by any amount, and at any time, a player can go “all-in” by pushing all their chips toward the center of the table. To call, the other players at the table must push in all of their chips, up to the amount of their opponent’s all-in bet. This is the type of Hold’em that is played on the pro level, and on TV shows such as the World Poker Tour and the World Series of Poker.

Pot Limit Hold’em is similar to No Limit, except that the maximum bet is determined by the number of chips currently in the pot. This allows players to experience the excitement and strategy of No Limit Hold’em without the necessity of a large bankroll. Pot Limit games usually have a maximum buy-in (the number of chips you start with) to keep the game competitive.

PokereLife.com

Ace-Ace
A pair of aces, also known as “pocket rockets” (and sometimes “American Airlines”) is the best starting hand.

King-King
Second on the list is a pair of kings, also known as “cowboys” or “King Kong.”

Queen-Queen
A pair of queens, also known as “ladies,” rounds out the top three best starting hands for Texas Holdem Poker.

Ace-King (suited)
This is where people start to disagree. A suited ace-king, also known as “big slick,” is my pick.

Ace-Queen (suited)
The suited “big chick,” or “little slick,” the nicknames given to a pocket ace-queen, is next in line.

Jack-Jack
A pair of jacks — also known as “hooks” or “fishhooks” — checks in at number six on my list.

King-Queen (suited)
A suited royal couple, king-queen, is next in the list of Texas Hold ‘Em Poker’s most powerful starting hands.

Ace-Jack (suited)
Nicknamed “blackjack” for obvious reasons, and sometimes called “ajax,” the ace-jack combo rates eighth.

Ace-King (offsuit)
Only one offsuit non-pair makes it into the list of the top 10 best starting hands for Texas Holdem Poker — the “big slick,” an ace-king.

10-10
This is the only starting hand in the top 10 without a face card: a pair of tens (aka “dimes”).

In poker your outs are the unseen cards that will complete or improve your hand to make it the winning hand. Each additional card or “Out” will improve your percentage of surviving the hand and coming out a winner.

The Odds chart below shows the percentage and odds of making your hand based on your number of outs

You will find that you can easily remember a few of the most common situations for outs such as the four flush or straight draw but there has to be an easier way than memorizing the figures for every number of outs. The good news is that there is a way to get a good estimation of the odds.

The Rule of Four -Two.

The rule of four-two, as I like to call it, is an easier way to figure the odds for any situation where you know your outs. It is not completely accurate but it will give you a quick “ballpark” figure of your chances for making a hand. Here is how it works.

With two cards to come after the flop you multiply your number of outs by four. With one card to come after the turn, you multiply your number of outs by two. This will give you a quick figure to work with. If you have a four-card flush after the flop you have nine outs. With two cards to come, you multiply the nine by four and you get 36 percent chance of making the flush. The chart shows the true odds at 35 percent. With one card to come you multiply nine by two and get 18 percent. The chart shows that the true figure is 19.6.

Playing Texas Hold’em heads up against a single opponent requires a completely different strategy than playing at a full table. While some players may choose a heads up game, the most common situation is during tournament play when it gets down to the final two players who are battling it out for the top prize money. Many players I have talked to tell me that they have the most difficulty adjusting to playing heads up play and are not very successful when put in that situation. The reason for this is that they are used to playing a very tight game. In a heads up situation you can’t play tight and expect to win.

You Must Loosen Up
When you are playing heads up you can’t afford to wait. Many times it comes down to who can steal the most blinds. Therefore you must loosen up and call more or you will go broke. Queen – Seven is called the computer hand because computer simulations show this hand is will win 51.77 percent heads up against a random hand. So with this hand or any hand higher than this one you are almost forced to play. A small pair or even a single Ace or King can be a big favorite in heads up play.

The Aggressor Will Win
In their book Hold’em Poker for Advanced Players authors Sklansky and Malmuth explain that a player in the small blind can win by raising with every hand. In the example the blinds are $50 and $100 which means there is $150 in the pot. The player on the button is the small blind and must act first before the flop. He raises by putting in an additional $150. If Big Blind folds, he has risked $150 to win $150. If the big blinds folds half the time the small blind will show a profit. He still will almost certainly profit in these situations since he will not only often steal you blind, but will also sometimes win when you call as well.

Suppose you only call in the big blind with the best 33% of the hands that you are dealt. Then he can raise every time and if called, be done with it-that is, not bet the flop-unless he flops a good hand. When this is the case, he’s going to win $150 two out of three times, plus he’s going to win more sometimes. He’s going to lose the $150 less than one out of three times.

If you find yourself against a player using this strategy you will need to counter it by calling more or raising him. You have to let him know that it could cost him more than $150 if he raises you every time.

Judge your opponents
You need to judge your opponents. Poker is a game about making judgments. You need to test the waters by doing the raising and being the aggressor. If you find yourself in a game with a passive player you now know how to beat him. If on the other hand your opponent is also aggressive you will have to use some discretion and very your play.

Bluffing

Playing heads up poker is a lot like playing chicken. This means you will need to bluff more before the flop and sometimes fire away after the flop with nothing. With just two players there will be many times when the flop doesn’t hit either player. Many times it is the person that acts first who will win the pot. Just remember that occasionally your opponent will have a legitimate. Although you don’t want to be bluffed out of a pot you will sometimes have to give it up to save your self from elimination.

Size Matters
The size of your chip stack makes a big difference in how you play. If you have a big stack you can be much more aggressive as you opponent might be inclined to fold more often waiting for a big hand. While this may work there will be a time when they are forced to make a stand. Although you want to keep the pressure on you also don’t want to double up your opponent too often or you will soon find yourself with the short stack.

Beware the Limper
Players limp in from the small blind for two reasons. They are either trying to see the flop cheaply or they are trying to trap an aggressive opponent. Again this calls for judgment on your part. Your objective in heads up play is to try and extract the most money from your opponent. If you have a big hand and know your opponent will raise then you can limp in and try for a check raise.

Practice
Becoming a proficient heads up player requires practice. You can practice with software programs such as Wilson’s Turbo Texas Holdem which you can set to simulate heads up play. You can also practice at one of the online poker sites. Get together with a friend for some free practice or enter the small sit and go tournaments to hone your skills. It doesn’t matter how you practice just as long as you do practice.

Get latest Poker Books

Need Poker Supplies

So you’re new to Texas Hold’Em poker? Not a problem. Texas Hold ‘Em poker is by far the best game for a beginner to learn. Instead of other poker games like Omaha High or 7 card stud which entail a great many more possibilities for calculating odds and perhaps even trying to count cards, Hold’Em can be learned in a few minutes by anyone, and you can be playing fairly well with a few hours practice. In order to learn the game, however, you must play and you must play fairly often.

A Texas Hold em poker game goes as follows:

1. The betting structure can vary. Sometimes antes are used, but most games start with two players to the left of the dealer placing out a predetermined amount of money so there is an initial amount to get things started. This is called posting the blinds. Click here for more info on blinds and antes.

2. The dealer shuffles up a complete deck of 52 playing cards.

3. Each player is dealt two cards face down. These are called your hole or pocket cards.

4. Then there is a round of betting starting with the guy to the left of the two who posted the blinds. This round is usually referred to by the term pre-flop.

5. The amount a player can bet depends on what kind of game it is. (Click here for more information about betting structures)

6. Much like most games of poker, players can check, raise, or fold.

7. After the betting round ends, the dealer discards the top card of the deck. This is called a burn card. This is done to prevent cheating.

8. The dealer then flips the next three cards face up on the table. These cards are called the flop. These are communal cards that anyone can use in combination with their two pocket cards to form a poker hand.

9. There is another round of betting starting with the player to the left of the dealer.

10. After the betting concludes, the dealer burns another card and flips one more onto the table. This is called the turn card. Players can use this sixth card now to form a five card poker hand.

11. The player to the left of the dealer begins another round of betting. In many types of games, this is where the bet size doubles.

12. Finally, the dealer burns a card and places a final card face up on the table. This is called the river. Players can now use any of the five cards on the table or the two cards in their pocket to form a five card poker hand.

13. There is one final round of betting starting with the player to the left of the dealer.

14. After that, all of the players remaining in the game begin to reveal their hands. This begins with the player to the left of the last player to call. It’s called the showdown. Players use a combination of their pocket cards and the community cards to form a poker hand. For more about that click here.

15. The player who shows the best hand wins! There are cases where players with equal hands share the winnings. Click here for more info on who wins and about split pots.

Once you understand this basic structure of the game, you can play holdem and even some of the many holdem variants out there. Holdem is an easy game to learn, just difficult to master. The “mastering” part is the costly part, especially in the traditional setting of a casino poker room. Thankfully, you can practice all you want for free in online poker rooms.

The only way to learn the game is to play. Check out

Get latest Poker Books

Need Poker Supplies