If
you want to play the most popular and
happening poker game, it has to be Texas
Hold’em. Master the art of winning
with some simple strategies and, then,
let the fun begin!
There are 5 stages in a game of Texas
Hold’em:
1. Preflop
2. Flop
3. Turn
4. River
5. Showdown
Preflop and Showdown don’t require
much technique. In a Preflop, all that
you do is to take the card that is dealt
to you by the dealer. Your face-down cards
or ‘hole cards’ are what you
need to concentrate on if you want to
win a game of Texas Hold’em. And
finally, in the Showdown, the players
that are still in the game reveal their
hand, which is the conclusion of the game.
Based on the betting limit, or the dollars
at stake, Texas Hold’em can be played
in 2 ways:
· High-limit
· Low-limit
High-limit Texas Hold’em
The strategies to win a high-limit game
change as the stakes get higher, sometimes
they get more confusing and even contradictory
so, this is definitely not a game for
beginners.
Low-limit Texas Hold’em
Most of the strategies that are written
about are for High-Limit and not much
literature is available on Low-limit.
Hence, even though the stakes are less
in the Low-Limit Texas Hold’em,
it is a difficult game to master. The
less amount of knowledge on low-limit
results in many players starting the game
at high-limit when they don’t have
a bankroll to match! So it’s a good
idea to consider learning the strategies
of low-limit Texas Hold’em even
if they are tricky; after all that’s
what this game is all about, “tricks”.
Strategies
The Luck Factor
Beginners luck stays only in the beginning.
So, at the end of the day, your strategy
is your better resource than lady luck.
A bad player might find good luck, but
he/she will soon run out of it and the
one with good strategy will end up gobbling
the pot.
About Betting
In Low-limit Texas Hold’em, there
are usually four rounds of betting. It
is customary to double the bets of the
first two rounds in the last two. That
is, in a $5/10 limit game, you can rise
up to $5 in the first two rounds, then,
raise it to $10 in the last two. Therefore,
the maximum amount one player puts in
the game is 5+5+10+10 or 30 dollars and
the big or the small blind depending on
your position on the table. In card rooms,
the most common betting structures are
$2/4, $3/6, $4/8, which aren’t as
large as $5/10.
Positioning is critical
In Texas Hold’em, your positioning
on the table is critical, so pay extra
attention to that while applying strategies.
· If you are at an `early’
position (first to be dealt cards), then,
you play ‘tight’ and play
‘loose’ when you are in a
‘late’ position. By playing
‘tight’ we mean, waiting for
the winning hands and folding when you
have don’t have winning hands.
· When you are in the early position
and get “big pairs” or “top
pairs” like AA, KK, QQ, or AsKs,
always raise. Big pairs will win you a
hand irrespective of what your face-down
is with AA being the biggest hand in a
Preflop. That is, if you have more points
on the face-up cards than anyone else
around the table, then, possibly your
chances of winning are more since the
face-down card plays only as supplement
to your already high-point position.
· In the
middle position, just like the position
itself, you play in between the tight
and loose “classification”
of the strategy — not that tight.
In middle position, if you get 99, 88,
AsJs, AsTs, QsJs, AQ, KQ, you should call.
· In late position, call when
you get an A with any card of the same
suit, Preflop, KsTs, QsTs, JsTs, and any
small pair. Don’t feel like a winner
and call when you get two cards of the
same suit Preflop, since, statistically,
this is a loosing hand. If you don’t
want to shrink your bankroll, calling
with an A paired with a low card of a
different suit should be done only occasionally.
When to bet?
The first round of betting comes after
the two Preflop hole cards are dealt.
This is followed by Flop. Three cards
are dealt by the dealer face-up. These
are called community cards since they
are turned up for everyone to see.
Betting after a Flop may be statistically
better if you believe you still have the
better hand. After Flop, you should not
risk your money if you don’t believe
that you have a strong hand. After Flop,
there is not much you can think.
Take a “right” Turn
Turn is considered the least interesting
of all the phases and most players look
forward to the River, but this might prove
disastrous. Don’t speculate in this
phase unless you want to rely on your
luck instead of strategy.
In the River
In Texas Hold’em, River is the
last card and the last bet. In the Low-Limit
Hold’em, player has one chance to
fold if he doesn’t make his hand.
If you are not sure of your hand, or if
you have been just bluffing, or if you
believe that you have a strong hand, go
ahead to the Showdown. Fold only if you
“know” that you have a bad
hand.
Hide your cards
If you win in the Showdown, then, you
will have to show your cards. However,
if you win the pot, then, you can keep
your hole cards for yourself because all
other players have already folded by that
phase. It is advised to hide your cards
as the game progresses.
Bluff and catch the bluffing!
Bluffing is the most tricky and important
technique in this game. Master this trick
and you can win it big! Also, watch for
the cues from others around the table
to catch other bluffers. Also, try to
catch mannerisms of others. |
