Texas Holdem Poker

As you start to play more and more Texas Holdem there are a few things that you shouldn’t do in live games. Playing online poker eliminates a lot of ethical things that you might run in to whether you play in home games or at casinos. The more you play, most of these things will become second nature to you and won’t be a problem. I am going to explain a few things to you that you shouldn’t do a poker table.

Slow Role - Slow rolling your opponents will serve only one purpose and that is make them upset. Slow rolling is when you delay flipping over your winning hand, forcing your competitor to role there hand over thinking they have a chance to win the pot. At the showdown, show your winning hands and do not embarrass your opponents. This will only make players angry and serve to make your experience at the table less fun. Slow rolling is a problem because it is eliminated in online games, when you make a transition to live games, just treat people the way you hope you are treated.

String Betting - A string bet is when you make more then one motion at the pot, and is another thing you cannot do when playing online. You will not be able to make one of these bets at a casino and I suggest you don’t allow them in your home games. String betting can force reads from your opponents and is against the rules in all poker games. To avoid string betting use verbal declarations of your bet sizes or simply count your chips out before you make a motion toward the pot. Enforcing string betting at home games will make it second nature to you and help you in more structured games.

Hit and Run – More of a home game rule, you should never show up at a game win money and leave immediately. This is not a good way to get yourself invited to play in games. Doing this in a casino or online is one thing, but when playing in home games this will upset your hosts. Poker is more then just winning and losing, it is a social game. I am not saying you have to sit and play as long as the rest of the table, but if you can only play for a short period of time you should tell the other players ahead of time. If you hit and run a game you can be assured, you won’t be on the top of the invite list the next time.

Soft Play - Soft play can ruin a Texas Holdem game faster then anything else. Soft play is when you take it easy on another player at the table usually because of a previous relationship. Whether you are at a table with a friend or spouse or whatever, poker is not a team game and each player should be looked at as equals at the table. We have all seen this before, but might not have noticed, friends who never seem to play pots against one another. Trust me there no better feeling then beating someone you are close to in a Texas Holdem hand, you will have bragging rights for the time being. If this is a problem for you maybe you should play at opposite tables, soft play makes the game less legit and more importantly less fun.

Teach – Made popular by World Series legend Phil Hellmuth, never berate your opponents for making mistakes. Telling people what they did wrong, when they did it wrong and how they should improve will not help you make money. Put there mistakes in your memory bank and use it against them at a later date, don’t let them use one of your tirades to figure out your style. If you want to help someone that’s fine, but do it when you are not at the table. Why would you ever want to give someone the tools and knowledge of how to beat you? You are going to run into bad players and they will beat you. Play your game and have a long memory and never help another player beat you.

Drinking - This ones up to you and it depends on the kind of game you are playing in. Drinking impairs your judgement and will not make your Holdem game better. It depends if you are playing in a big money game ( don’t drink ) or in a social nickle and dime game with friends. My suggestion is, if making money is your top priority you shouldn’t be drunk at the table.

Show Off - This applies to online poker as well, showing off your skills is a sure fire way to lose your money. The best way to prove you’re the best player at the table is to win, not to show off your skills with big plays. As a poker player you need to the right times to slow play, bluff ro move all in, but if you a looking to prove a point you will make mistakes. Confidence is fine, but don’t allow it to change your game.

Texas Holdem is an easy game, but if you follow some of these ethical do’s and don’ts is will be more fun and profitable to you. I suggest you enforce these things in home games, so that they become second nature to you. The last thing you want is to increase your stakes and play with new people or at a casino and to have these simple things be on your mind. Every players goals should be to win money and have fun at the tables.

If you are new to the game of Texas Holdem and want to take the game seriously you need to avoid common mistakes. Texas Holdem is an easy game, but there is no perfect way to play. Some amateurs and beginners make the same mistakes over and over again. You cannot avoid mistakes even the best players in the world make them on a daily basis. The key is to recognize when you have made a mistake and take the measures to correct it the next time you are in that situation. I am going to help you and show some of the common mistakes you might be making at the tables.

First and most common mistakes that beginners or inexperienced players make is “getting married” to there pre flop hands. Its important to realize that pocket aces do not automatically win, the hand needs to be played out. Pay attention at all times, know what hands beat you and find out where you are at in the hand. To avoid losing pots with your monster pre flop hands, raise before the flop to hopefully eliminate weak hands. I always insist that players who want to become good Holdem players need to be able to put there opponents on a range of hands that they might be playing. The way to this is by paying attention to any patterns or tells your opponents might be giving you, use this information to make an educated guess on what your opponent might have

Example : Your playing a tournament and you are down to 6 players, you pick up pocket aces in middle position and raise 5 times the big blind and get called by the guy beside you. This player has played a tight game and pretty passive pre flop, earlier you saw him smooth call pre flop with an A – Q. The flop comes out with no ace, but three diamonds, which you do not have, you make a bet anyways three quarters the pot and get called. The board pairs kings on the turn, you check and your opponent moves all in, What do you think they have? You raised pre flop and got a call from a tight player meaning there hand is probably pretty strong, there is a possible three of a kind ( kings ) or flush out there that would beat you. Since you just got called pre flop you don’t really no where you are at so, based on previous knowledge you can make a prediction and I would think the opponent has maybe A – K or K -  J, possibly suited, possibly with a flush. This is probably a good time to lay down those aces.

Slow Playing – We have all seen on television a slow play work perfectly, but be careful what you learn on television poker. The main goal in every hand is to get the maximum value for what you are holding, don’t slow play just for the sake of slow playing. If you feel you are not going to get any action from your hand if you bet out, go ahead and slow play to get some value, but don’t wait to long to take control of the pot. If you slow play often you will start to get less action on your checks and your game will start to become one dimensional. The biggest downfall to slow playing is you let your competitors catch up with you, and possibly beat you at a showdown. If you want extra value from your hand, but don’t want to get sucked out on you I suggest check – raising. For example if you are first to act after you spiked top set, check and when some one bets out behind you raise them, and either play a big pot or win it right there. Slow play when the time is right, against the right players and for the right reasons.

Re – Betting - This is when you make the same bet size on two streets. For example you bet $5 on the flop and catch two callers, and after the turn you bet $5 again. You won’t see this very often in an experienced game, but when you do light bulbs will go off. An experienced Holdem player will take this in one of two ways, one that you have a big hand and are trying to get value, and they might lay down there one pair. On the other hand if a good player has a draw you will laying them the odds to call and suck out on you. Re – Betting can be an effective strategy when playing inexperienced players, but probably won’t work against veterans of the game.

Another common problem amateurs have is knowing when to bluff. To be a winning Texas Holdem player you need to bluff, but if you don’t know how you will lose an awful a lot of money. For a beginner I would suggest the easiest time to bluff is when a board is “scary” and there aren’t a lot of players in the pot. By scary I mean if the community cards have a high pair or the cards are all suited. Making good sized bets (half to three quarter pot) in late position can be a good way to make a bluff look easy. If you want to bluff you are going to need to put your opponent on a hand and trust your instincts on every street. If you are not comfortable, take a stab on the flop and if catch a call, slow down and see what happens the rest of the way.

This is just scratching the surface of the mistakes you might be making playing Texas Holdem. Remember everybody makes mistakes, the key is learning from them and fixing the mistake the next time you are in that spot. Pay attention at the table, keep your emotions in check and have fun at the tables and you will become a winning player in no time.

Aces Full
Three aces and a pair make aces full. Note: In Holdem, it is possible for two players to have aces full. In the event both players have aces full, then the player with the higher pair in their full house is the winner

All-in
When a player has all of their chips or money in a pot

Bad Beat
A bad beat occurs in one of two scenarios. The first is when a strong hand is beaten by a hand that was mathematically unsound to play, such as pocket aces losing to 7-2. The other scenario is when you make a really strong hand and lose to an even stronger one, such as a full house losing to quads.

Bankroll
The amount of money that you have to play poker with. A bankroll is money that is specifically set aside to play poker and not used for anything else.

Big Blind
The first of two forced bets in a round of Texas Holdem. The big blind is the second player to the left of the button. In Limit cash games, the big blind is the small bet amount. (In a $2-$4 game the big blind is $2.) Otherwise, in tournaments and No-Limit games, the big blind is a set amount. In a $1-$2 NL game, the big blind is $2.

Big Slick
When you hold Ace-King as your starting hand.

Bottom Pair
When you make a pair using a card in your hand and the lowest card on the board.

Bullets
Pocket aces

Button
A white disc used to determine the dealer position at the table. This is the strongest position as this person is the last to act on all streets.

Buy-in
The amount of money required to enter a cash game or a tournament.

Check-raise
When a player checks to another and then raises that player once they bet into them.

Connectors
Two cards in successive rank that are also suited, such as 8-9 of hearts.

Cowboys
Pocket kings

Dominated Hand

A dominated hand is one that is similar to another players hand but usually has a worse kicker. An example is A-K vs. A-10. The A-10 is dominated by the A-K.

Double Up

In a tournament or cash game, when a player puts all of their chips at risk and wins, they double up the size of their stack. This is usually more relevant to tournaments.

Drawing Dead

When a player cannot improve their hand to beat another player’s hand, they are considered drawing dead.

Early Position

The first three players to the left of the button. This is both blinds and the under the gun position. These players are in the worst position at the table.

Flop

The first three community cards dealt in Texas Holdem. Also known as Third Street.

Flush
Five cards of the same suit.

Four of a Kind

Four cards of the same rank.

Free Roll

A poker tournament that is free to enter.

Full House

A hand containing both three of a kind and a separate pair.

High Card

When a player does not connect with any sort of ranked hand, such as a pair, then the highest rank card is their hand. A player with only king high, they are deemed to have high card king.

High Roller

A player that either plays high stakes or bets out a lot of money. The largest high rollers are referred to as “Whales”. Whales are typically those that bet millions or are high net worth players.

Hit

When you connect with the flop or any other part of the board, you are said to have “hit.” Players look to hit the flop in order to improve their hands.

Hole Card(s)

In Holdem, these are your two cards dealt to you preflop. In any other poker game, these are the cards that you receive face down.

Kicker

When you are able to make a pair, two pair, or a set with a card in your hand, you other card becomes your kicker, or high card to go with your hand. In the event that two players make the same hand, such as a pair of aces, then the player with the best kicker wins the hand. In the event the kicker’s are the same, then the pot would be chopped.

Late Position

The last three to four spots in relation to the button at the table. Usually the 7-9 or 7-10 seats. These players have an advantage over other players as they can see everyone’s actions.

Limp In

To only call the big blind amount in hoping to see a cheap flop.

Monster

A really strong poker hand that has a high percentage of winning, such as pocket aces.

Muck

The discard pile in a card game. When you fold, this is referred to as mucking or throwing your hand into the muck.

No Limit

A variant of Holdem or other poker games where players may be up to the amount in their stack at any time.

Nuts

When you have a hand that cannot be beaten.

One Pair

Two cards of the same rank.

Outs

Cards needed to make your hand. If you have an open ended straight draw, eight cards in the deck complete your hand. You would have eight outs.

Over the top

When you re-raise a person, it is called coming over the top of them.

Position

Term referring to the players spot at the table in relation to the button. The better position you hold, the bigger the advantage as you can see more players act before you.

Pot Odds

The comparison of how much money you must put into the pot to call a bet against the amount of money in the pot. Example: The pot is $20 on the river. Someone bets $4 and you must decide to call. There are currently six $4 bets in the pot so you’re getting 6 to 1 odds to call.

Quads

Four of a kind.

River

The last community card dealt in Texas Holdem. Also known as “Fifth Street.”

Royal Flush

The best possible hand in poker. It is an A-K-Q-J-10 of the same suit.

Short Stack

The player with the least amount of chips at a poker table.

Small Blind

The first of two forced bets in a round of Texas Holdem. The small blind is the first player to the left of the button. In Limit cash games, the small blind is half the small bet amount. (In a $2-$4 game the small blind is $1.) Otherwise, in tournaments and No-Limit games, the small blind is a set amount. In a $1-$2 NL game, the small blind is $1.

Straight

Five cards of consecutive rank. Ex: 4-5-6-7-8

Straight Flush

Five cards of consecutive rank and of the same suit.

Structured Betting

In limit poker, structured betting limits the betting on each street. The limits preflop and on the flop are typically half of the limits on the turn and river. In a $2-$4 Limit game, the preflop and flop betting increments are $2 and the turn and river bet increments are $4.

Table Stakes

While in a hand, you can only bet up to the money currently in your stack. You cannot add or subtract money from your stack. Also, you cannot be bet out of a hand when you cannot meet the bet size. You would then be declared “all-in” and can win the amount in your stack.

Three of a Kind

Three cards of the same rank. Also known as trips or a set.

Top Pair

A pair made from a card in your hand and the highest card on the board.

Turn

The fourth community card in Holdem. Also known as Fourth Street.

Two Pair

Two cards of one rank plus two cards of another rank.

Under the Gun

The first player to act after the big blind.

Winning Hands

Listed from highest to lowest.