HOLD'EM STRATEGY FOR BEGINNING PLAYERS
Below are the
basics to understanding the game of hold'em. Learn how to bet, use
percentages, read your opponents, and use psychology to manipulate
gameplay. If you haven't already, it's advised that you familiarize
yourself with the rules of Hold'em
and the Rank of
Hands. The topics covered in this
section mostly pertain to limit hold'em and face to face tables,
although online tips are included as well. If your playing online you
should Know Your
Limits and and read about Choosing
Tables.
DISCIPLINE
When sitting down to play any
form of poker it's important to keep a cool head, make well thought out
decisions using all the knowledge you've obtained and remember that you
can't always be a winner. There are times when you're opponent will get
the best of you. It is in these times that you must graciously accept
your loss and show good sportsmanship. Do not let a few bad hands cloud
your judgment in further hands.
Never let your opponents see you as a weak player, keep your head high
and make educated decisions. It's also important to know when to fold
and get out of a potentially bad hand, even though you may have invested
some money already, it's better to accept a smaller loss than to create
a bigger one.
STARTING HANDS
On the Starting
Hands page are the hand
combinations that may be called, raised or re-raised for tables with 6
or more players. The exception is when you are playing against fewer
opponents. The chances of players being dealt hands that could beat your
own is reduced. On smaller tables, hands may be called with one high
card or a smaller pair.
POT ODDS
If you decide to stay in for
the flop you will either
have a "made hand" or you will be "drawing" for a
better hand. A made hand is when you have at least high pair or better. For example, you're dealt A,K and the flop is A,2,4, that
is a made hand. An example of a drawing hand is, you're dealt Q,2 and the flop is
2,7,10, you're drawing for a Q or a 2. When you are drawing for a better
hand that is when "pot odds" come into play.
The first thing
we will discuss are your "way's out". For example, you are
dealt A,K and the community cards are 10,Q,3,8. You need a Jack to make
a straight. There are potentially 4 Jacks left in the deck which gives
you 4 way's out. Another example, you are dealt Q,J and the community
cards are 10,7,9,2. You've hit a open-ended straight, a King or an eight
would make your straight 4 King's and 4 eights total 8 way's out.
The
next step is converting your way's out into a percentage. The formula
for calculating this is (way's out x 2 + 2 = percentage of hitting). For
example 8 way's out would yield you a 18% chance of hitting your card.
Not the greatest of odds, huh?
Next we'll take your percentage and
convert it to a number that can be used to determine whether to call a
bet or not. Your percentage multiplied by the total pot will give you
the maximum bet you can call. For example an 18% chance multiplied by a
$100 pot would allow you to call an $18 bet. These numbers are extremely
useful in determining whether to call a bet, as the player placing the
bet most likely has a made hand and has you beat.
The bottom line is
that your decision to call is always a gamble. You may feel lucky, you
may not. Use your math skills and your instincts together to form a
rational decision. More percentages will be discussed later.
BETTING FUNDAMENTALS
The backbone to being
a good and profitable poker player is knowing when to bet and when to
get out. The most important thing is to not think of what hand do I
have, but what do I think they have, what do they think I have and what
do they think, I think they have. I know this sounds a bit confusing.
Let try to simplify some basic betting strategies.
After the flop if you have high pair, bet or call. If you
have a higher pocket pair, two pair, three of a kind, a straight or a
flush, bet or raise. If you hit a clinched hand (a big hand like a full
house), check or call, since you have such a good hand there's no need
to chase players out. If the flop is all of the same suit that is a suit
that you don't have an Ace or a King of, fold. If you feel you have less
than a made hand and are drawing for a better hand, use pot odds to make
a decision. Don't be afraid to fold if the percentages are not in your
favor. If you are on a draw do not get caught up in your opponents
raising battles. Also an opponent may check because they don't have a
made hand or a strong player may check to make you believe they have
less of a hand than they really do (slowplaying), causing you to try a
bluff. Be careful.
After the turn if you have not made your hand by now give
serious consideration to folding your hand rather than calling on
another draw, unless you have multiple way's out or playing on a flush
draw. You have an approximate 25% chance of hitting a flush draw. Call a
bet or raise if you feel your opponent is also drawing. Again, if you're
against a strong player he may check to make you think he has less of a
hand than he really does. If you hit your draw and it looks like it may
be obvious, check or call to throw him off.
After the river it's the moment of truth. If you hit your
draw, bet or raise. If you did not hit your draw card it's time to fold
or bluff at the pot. There's no point in only calling a bet at this
point, unless you have a good reason to believe your opponent is
bluffing or is on tilt.
There are many different scenarios that could arise. Pay
attention to the players skill level, previous hands and the community
cards and their relationship to possible combinations. Never lose sight
of the big picture and watch betting on longshots.
BLUFFING
There are 3 basic rules to
bluffing. Read, respect and represent. If your missing one or more of
these key elements, you may be called on a bluff. First, you must have a
good read on your opponents. Looking for "tells" that might
give away that a player may not have a hand. Next is respect which means
as a player you must have the respect of the other players. If you've
showed in previous hands that you are a strong player and bet on strong
hands or you've been beating them up all night, you have gained respect.
It's easier to bluff when you are up rather than down. Third you must
represent, which means you must bluff at the right time. If an Ace is
dealt on the table, a bluff would represent holding an Ace. If the third
like suit is dealt, this would represent a flush. Timing is crucial to
perform a bluff. Always change up the position were you bluff as well,
whether it be pre-flop or at the turn, for example. Also watch bluffing
when you're in last betting position, since this is usually expected.
SLOWPLAYING
Coming Soon
PLAYER TYPES
Coming Soon
TELLS
Coming Soon
REVERSE PSYCHOLOGY
Coming Soon
TILTING
Coming
Soon
ONLINE STRATEGY
Coming
Soon
Back
to Top
Next Page>
Intermediate
Strategy
