Strategy
Texas Holdem Strategy
To begin, this strategy is optimized for beginners and for playing low stakes Texas Holdem Poker. It is an easy to use, rough guide to help build a foundation to build upon and help you start winning at Texas Holdem Poker.
Texas Holdem it may be wise to play tight for the first few hands and not get over enthusiastic to jump into the pot. This will give you a chance to observe how the other players are playing as you wont be playing very many hands and will allow you to establish if they play tight or loose and seek tells that other players may give off. It will also give you a good table image as you will only be playing sensible poker. This will help in the later stages of the game as you begin to open up your game and play a looser. As you are aware, there are four rounds of betting in a hand of
Texas Holdem, so this is a guide to help you play through these rounds and make the most profitable decisions.
Starting hands
The first and probably the most important decision that faces a Texas holdem player is weather to hold you starting hand or fold straight away. One doesn’t want to get involved in a hand when there is a chance of another player will play more aggressively, especially if they have a superior hand. It is also key to remember player position and use it strategically. For example if you have a decent hand and are unsure if you should play, if you are one of the first to act it may be best to just fold as there is the risk of players yet to act raising. On the other hand if you are one of the last to act, it may be a good idea to call provided that nobody at the table has raised. If everybody calls before you chances are they too are unsure of there probability of winning and want to see if they can pair up on the flop. A great way to judge starting hand strength is to use a point count system. One good example of a point count system is the Hutchison Point Count System . I have explained the Hutchison Point Count System on this site. To check it out, click here. The next decision you must make is how to play your cards. Once you have studied the Hutchison Point Count System or similar systems, you can make a more educated decision about how to play. My advice is as follows: 34+ points – These cards are the crème de la crème. The starting hands that are represented by these points are AA,
KK, AK (suited), QQ, JJ. These hands should be played from any position and it is best to play these hands aggressively. A large bet or raise is appropriate here and it will also get rid of players with drawing hands. 30+ points – These cards are also very strong. The starting hands these points represent are AQ, AJ (suited), A10 (suited), AK, KQ, pair of 10s, KJ (suited), QJ (united), J10 (suited), AQ, AJ (suited), KQ, K10 (suited), Q10 (suited). These hands can be played from any position but as they are not as strong as the above, it may be best if you play aggressively in a middle to late position. I you are one of the first to act, calling may be the least risky option. If another player puts in a monster raise, it my not be worth the risk. They could have a hand that gives 34+ points. On the other hand they could have a medium to low drawing hand which still gives them a chance of winning and you loose out. If however they only raise a small amount, it may be worth your while calling to see the turn and go from there. 24+ points – These cards are good but are vulnerable. The starting hands that these points represent are pair of 7s, 8s, 9s, 8-9 (suited), 9-10 (suited), J9 (suited), 10-9 (suited), KJ, QJ, J10, A9, A8, A7 (suited), A6 (suited), A5 (suited), A4 (suited). These hands should only be played from a late position if there are no raises and it is wise to play conservatory. Look to make your hand on the turn and take it from there. However, in the odd occasion you feel you have the top hand; you should raise and try to steal the blinds.
The remainder of the starting hand not mentioned (less than 24 points), should probably be folded as there is a very low probability of winning the hand.
The flop
Most deals will usually go to the flop so it is best that when you see a flop there is a big pot, few players and you hold a strong hand. On the other hand, if you hold a mediocre hand it is best to see the flop when there are many players and you paid a small amount to see the turn. There is a reason why this is true. Take the ideal situation. You have been dealt AA and you raise pre flop. One to two other players call. Few players in the hand means that all the players with drawing hands will be forced out. With a strong hand like AA you have a superior chance of winning the hand but forcing all those out that hold drawing cards will increase your chances even more. If in the opposite situation, you have a drawing hand, the reason why it is best to see the flop with many players and after paying a small amount to see it is because you pay a small amount in an attempt to make your hand on the turn. Also if there are many players who have all paid a small amount to see the flop, added together will make a pot worth playing for. If you still have nothing after the flop it is best that you fold. The best advice I could give regarding the flop is always to remember that the flop represents common cards. The Same is true for the Turn and the River cards, but what makes the Flop so significant is the fact that you now have five cards, which is all you need to seal the deal so to speak.
There are two decisions to make after the Flop, weather to play and how to play. Weather to play depends on the cards you have been dealt and the hand you can make after the Flop while taking into account bets placed by others pre flop and post flop. How to play also depends on the same. To give you the best idea of when to play and how to play I will give a few scenarios based on starting hands and the Flop.
Flopping a huge hand
If after the flop you hold a huge hand i.e. anything straight or above, you have two options. You can play very aggressively or you can slow play or milk it. By playing very aggressively i.e. raising a big amount or even going all in depending on the situation and your chip count you invite others to follow you into the pot with the odds of you winning greatly outweighing theirs. The ideal situation to do this is if you are in a late position and other players have bet aggressively before you. Also if the flop comes out showing high cards you are also in an ideal position to play aggressively, again preferably from a late position after other players have shown signs of aggression. Slow playing on the other hand is best played from an early position. If you are one of the first to act, play cool and try not to scare off other players with a huge raise. As you should know the odds of you winning are greatly stacked in your favor so try keeping as many people in the pot as possible and simply milking them. However, don’t call big blind or check, put in a decent bet, something that says you have a mediocre drawing hand but doesn’t give away your hand. Either way, if there are a few players remaining in the pot, odds are you may be re-raised which is great for you as this will force those players with drawing hands to leave behind their post flop bets and fold and this means that you have somebody that thinks they have a better hand than you. It may also make sense to play slow from a late position but only when there has been conservative, passive play before hand. There are a few exceptions however. So you start with JJ. Flop comes out JQQ. You have full house and are in a late position. There are players betting aggressively and one in particular bets very aggressively. 9 times out of 10 you match his aggression. But consider this situation, he holds QJ. This would only happen extremely rarely, in which case it would be extremely difficult to fold, but these are the situations you must be aware of and watch out for.
If you flop a straight, generally I would advise playing it like described above. An ideal straight would be a straight to the Ace. However if the flop comes out say 5-6-7 and you hold 3-4 I would advise playing aggressively and sealing it before the Turn. Why? Because another player could have a 9 and 8 comes out on the turn. Or for instance, another player holds a 10 and 8 comes on the Flop and 9 comes on the river. Or they could hold a 4 and 8 comes on the Turn. See the pattern? So if you find yourself with a straight ending on a relatively low card, I would advise playing aggressively and taking the pot there and then.
Flopping three of a kind
You can flop three of a kind in two ways, both of which differ in the way they must be played to be profitable. Take for example; you have a pocket pair, let’s say tens for this example. The flop shows 5-K-10. You now have 3 of a kind. In this situation you are in a good position to choose weather to play aggressively or slow play. In an early position you might decide to slow play to make the most of the hand but only if you feel that the other players have nothing as powerful as you. If you feel that there are too many people that may have drawing hands in the pot, or that there are other players with strong hands that will be given the opportunity to make a stronger hand if the dealer shows the turn or the river, then you should play aggressively to force these guys out. But overall, slow playing will probably see more profits for you.
Another situation where you can flop 3 of a kind is if you have one 10 for example and the flop shows 10-10-K. In this situation you have 3 of a kind but it is a weaker hand than the previous example. Why? When a pair is formed on the community cards everybody has the opportunity to benefit from these cards, meaning your 3 of a kind may be weaker than another player’s hand. Consider another player holding K-10, pocket Kings even. They have a full house already formed so you should probably play this hand cautiously. You have two options. You can try force everybody out with a big raise and take the pot as it is. If somebody calls be very cautious, you may have just played into the hands of somebody with a full house. Probably your best option is to slow play. With these high cards on the table, everybody will probably be playing cautiously and will call reasonable bets. With 3 0f a kind you will more than likely take the pot but this type of play will limit your losses and encourage others to play into you.
Flopping two pairs
There are a few scenarios related to flopping two pairs. To begin, let’s say you hold K-10, the flop shows K-10-7. This is the best situation to flop two pairs as you have a hidden two pair. It’s probably best to play a hand like this aggressively as there are still a few hands a fair few hands that will beat two pairs so by playing aggressively you will force those drawing hands out and may take the pot there and then. If you are called it is probably best to continue playing aggressively as the chances are they hold a nice pair or even a flush or straight draw. If it goes to a showdown they will have the opportunity to make their hand and take the pot. Now consider you hold a pocket pair, let’s say pocket 10s. The flop shows K-K-7. You should play cautiously here. There is a good chance that somebody has 3 0f a kind or there could be a full house formed. I would only consider playing aggressively in a late position if there have been no raises and this would be to try stealing the pot.
The weakest 2 pairs you can form on the flop are if say you hold 10-4. Flop shows K-K-10. You only hold one card that makes a pair. In this situation you should always play cautiously as there are even more ways that you may be beat. If there are any raises you should strongly consider weather it is worth calling, taking into consideration that another player may have 3 of a kind, full house, or a stronger 2 pair than you.
Flopping a flush or straight draw
I’m not too fond of going after a Flush or Straight but in certain circumstances it is worth betting with Flush or straight draw. If you are in a late position and there are no raises it is worth playing aggressively to either take the pot there and then or play to make your Straight or Flush if you are called. In an early position it is best to play passively and try to see the turn for a small amount.
Pair after the flop
If you have a pair after the flop there are a number of things that you have to take into consideration. For example, if you have a good pocket pair, let’s say JJ and the flop shows 4-8-10 then there is a very good chance that you still hold the best hand and you should play aggressively. On the other hand, if the flop shows 8-10-A, there is a chance that another player has just paired up with the Ace and has you beat, so at this point it is probably best to play cautiously and not get trapped. Only look to call and consider folding if another player puts in a big raise. This occurs more often when you hold a lower value pocket pair, let’s say 8s. There is a much higher chance that somebody will make a higher pair on the flop.
Anything else not mentioned above is not a good hand and should be folded. If you have a high card after the flop you should only play if everybody just calls or checks and only if you hold the high cards in your pocket cards.
The Turn
If you are still playing in the hand when the fourth card hits the board it is imperative that you have a decent hand and are not chasing a dream card. Up to this point you should have been analyzing the other players at the table and putting them on hands by the way they have been betting and trying to figure out where you stand in terms of winning. Many beginners tend to play loose and don’t read the board well and don’t read other players betting patterns very well either and see the flop when they are so far behind they need a miracle card or cards. So as a rule of thumb if you see the flop you should have a decent hand. If you have been playing with a mediocre hand and were looking to the flop to solve your problems, if after the flop you are in the same situation you should probably fold especially if there is aggressive play before you. You should bet aggressively on the turn when you hold a top hand and you consider yourself to be ahead. At this point the pot should be reasonably big so you should look to take it here. If you have a very good hand and are trying to slow play, it may be a good idea to increase your bets slightly. At this stage you can assume that anybody left in the hand has something so they will either call or raise, in which case you re-raise. Remember, slow playing is all about making the pot bigger and not giving your hand away.
You should also pay particular attention to the community cards when you see the turn and you have a reasonable hand. Let’s say you have JJ and the flop and turn show Q-5-7-A chances are you are beat if there are a few players left in the hand. Look at all the ways you can be beat – pair of Aces,
Queens or an unlikely but possible straight draw. Play this cautiously.
The River
The river, also known as the showdown, is the final round of betting. If you are still playing when the river card is shown, on piece of advice I can give you is to never fold, unless you are in a unique circumstance that requires you to. Up to this point I would hope that you have played good cards pre flop, post flop and after the turn and you consider yourself to be ahead or even in a top position. If not you should have folded pre turn or pre flop and you should never still b playing at this point. If you do consider yourself to be ahead or in a top position you should call or raise any bets. A lot of players may try to bluff on the river so it is key that you dont change your mind about your hand strength when you see a big bet or raise. Bad losers or beginners are prone to try bluff on the river, especially if they know they have played wrong or know thy may be beat, they may try clutch at straws by a big bluff. Don’t fall for it. Some unique circumstances that I would fold are if the board shows a flush draw or a straight draw. Or if there are a lot of high cards on the board and the river card is a high card. Try and play defensive by calling small bet or big blinds or even checking if you really aren’t sure. If there are big bets or raises caused by the river card, then sit back and think about why these bets or raises are being placed. If the river card is a high card that may be the reason. If the board now shows the probability of another player having a better hand than you, I would consider folding. To conclude, if you follow this strategy guide, you will start to see good results in your game. Remember this is just a guide. There is so much more that I could write on Texas Holdem poker strategy as it can get very complex, however with this rough guide you should learn to play a better game and learn a solid foundation to build upon.