Texas Hold'em Strategies
If you’re new to Texas Hold’em but want to get better, here are some
handy tips that we’ve learnt at the sharp end. Print this out, memorise
it; it’s worth it you know.
Very strong starting hands
Pair of aces (pocket rockets)
Pair of Kings
Ace-King on suit
Pair of Queens
Pair of Jacks
Strong Starting Hands
Ace-Queen, Ace-Jack and Ace-10 on suit
Ace-King off suit
Pair of tens
Ace-10, King-Jack, Queen-Jack, Jack-10 on suit
Ace-Queen, Ace-Jack off-suit
Pair of nines
King-Queen off suit and on suit
King-10, Queen-10 on suit
Medium Strength Starting Hands
Pair of eights
Jack-9, 10-9 on suit
Pair of sevens
9-8, 8-7 on suit
An ace with any other on suit card
King-Jack, Queen-Jack, Jack-10 off-suit
Other starting hands that are sometimes worth playing
Any low pair
Connected cards in the same suit, for example 8-7, 6-5, 5-4 etc
Ace-10, King-10, Queen-10 off suit
King-9, Jack-8 on suit
Starting hands you really shouldn’t play
Basically, anything else. You can still get away with it, and if you’re
short stacked and forced to go all-in you may not have much choice, but
they should generally be treated with extreme caution.
Always remember, that there’s an inherent degree of luck involved with
the game. While playing the percentages should lead to a profitable and
rewarding time at the poker tables, bad beats are a part of the game.
You can sit there with a pair of aces against a player with 2-7 and
watch them flop three of a kind to beat your pocket rockets…
Some basic tips and strategies
Play cautiously when the game first starts. Settle down, catch the mood
of the game. Of course, if you’re a naturally aggressive player, or you
catch some decent starting hands, you can go for it from the start. If
other players are playing cautiously, you can often force them out
early.
Play aggressively if you’re dealt a strong pre-flop hand, it gets money
in the pot early and encourages weak hands to fold. You want those
potentially weak hands out of the way; they can still get lucky on the
flop.
If you’re dealt a low pair, play cautiously and only play when the
betting is cheap. If you don’t flop a three of a kind or two pairs, it’s
probably best to get rid.
Play aggressively when you have options after the flop. If your hand has
a chance of making a straight, flush and three of a kind for example,
get raising.
Watch out for uniform flops like 7,8, 9. Even if you’re holding top
pair, someone could easily make a straight.
Beware of suited flops. If three hearts appear, chances are high that
someone somewhere is going to make a flush.
Getting caught bluffing once in a while isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
It can even be worth deliberately getting caught playing a bluff in a
certain way, thus making it harder for opponents to read your game. Just
don’t throw away too much cash right?
Study your opponents. Watch how they bet, flop, call and bluff. Do they
act quickly, do they take time to act? If you’re looking to play
regularly, it’s worth making notes on the players you come across.
Having notes to refer back to can give you an edge in future games.
Don’t be too quick on the fold. If you can see cards for free as
everyone’s checking, then do so.
Don’t look to play every hand. If you haven’t got a decent starting
hand, bin it. Save your cash for when you have something worth playing.
If you’re getting the hang of Texas Hold’em by using the play for fun
tables, pretend your chips are real money. Don’t play with a devil may
care attitude, it’ll only get you into bad habits.
Beware of good hands in large games. If in a full ring game of nine
people, six or seven are still in a hand, it’s highly likely that one of
the players has a very good hand. Your pair just won’t cut it. Just let
go dammit, let go.
In very short-handed games, or in heads-up play, good hands are hard to
come by. That pair of three’s that you thought was a loser may not be so
bad after all…
If you have a losing streak, never never never start playing more
aggressively to try to win back your losses. Luck evens itself out over
time, play your game and you’ll do OK. Losing your rag is called going
off tilt. It’s a bad thing.
Don’t try to beat other players; let them try to beat you.
Learn the probabilities of making certain hands in any given situation.
A player who plays the odds well, is a player who plays well.
Play as often as possible, even if it’s only for low stakes. There’s no
substitute for experience.
Vary your playing strategy from time to time. Play the same way all the
time, and good players will work you out.
Make sure that you learn from your losses. They often provide you with
more telling information about how to play the game than winning.
Whatever happens, don’t give up.
Never play at a table where you can’t afford to lose. It’ll affect how
you play. Adversely that is.
Watch high-stakes tables. The higher the stakes, the better calibre of
player it tends to attract. Watch these tables, study how they play and
assimilate this information into your game. It’ll pay off against
players at lower levels.
The above strategy guide relates to Texas Hold'em by
Victor Chandler Poker, all in-game descriptions relate to the
Victor Chandler Poker website.
Recommended Online Poker sites for new
players:
Ladbrokes Poker
William Hill Poker
Coral Poker
bet365 Poker
WPTonline
Victor Chandler Poker
Pacific Poker
PartyPoker
More recommended Poker Guides:
Introduction
to Online Poker
Poker Tips
Texas
Hold'em Guide
Texas Hold'em Strategies
Omaha Guide
Omaha Strategies
Omaha
High/Low Guide
Omaha High/Low
Strategies
Draw Poker Guide
Lowball Poker Guide
Poker Hand
Rankings explained |
