Texas Holdem Poker

Texas Holdem players that start at low limits usually begin their play with Limit Holdem. Many begin at the $2-$4 and $3-$6 level. These are the lowest levels both in term of competition and profit potential. It is also a level that the most mistakes are made and certain mistakes are repeated in almost every hand. Today, I would like to take a look at a couple of mistakes that low limit Holdem players make.

First, low Limit players will come into a pot calling several bets cold. I don’t care how loose a game is, coming into a pot that has been 3 bet with a substandard hand is a long term losing proposition. There are exceptions to this obviously. If you have two players that raise and reraise every hand, then you can widen your calling standards. However, I was at a table recently where the tightest player raised and was reraised. The reraise was called by three players. Of course, the three players that called three bets cold lost their money.

Next, another mistake that I see made often is players playing too tight at a super passive table. I personally have been guilty of this mistake in the past. I would sit at a table that would have 6 to 8 players stay in for the blinds and I would sit there and wait for hands. As I gained more experience, I would start to speculate with reasonable hands etc. Eventually, I would find a good balance. However, I see players that will sit and play like a rock when just a little bit of belt loosening would garner them a profit.

Another common mistake I see made is not raising at all preflop. If you have a strong hand, then raise it. While it is true that in some games you will not thin out the field, raising puts players on notice that you have a hand. Sometimes you can take the pot with a continuation bet. Sometimes you will hit the flop or have a big pair and still be able to take the pot with resistance. By not raising, you allow more people the chance to see a flop. I was in a hand about a year ago with a man that never raised preflop, even with hands such as pocket kings. His lack of raising cost him bets and saved me money. Don’t cost yourself bets. Raise your hands.

The next mistake is one that is primarily a live cash game mistake. In most games, if only the blinds are left in a hand, many times these players will chop the pot and just take back their blinds. Sometimes you will get a player that is stubborn and will go ahead and want to play their hand. Unless you can get another raise in the pot preflop, this move is usually a bad one. The main reason I say this is due to the rake. If a hand goes to the flop, most casinos go ahead and take their drop. If the pot is chopped, they don’t get a drop. If you just call preflop and don’t chop, you will usually end up losing money. Unless you think that you can get some money out the other player, just chop the blinds. I know this sounds counterintuitive, but it saves on the rake.

Many players starting to play Texas Holdem since 2003 have begun their poker education with No Limit Holdem. For many players, this is the only type of Holdem that they have played. Whether it is due to bankroll considerations or due to wanting to improve their overall poker game, many players eventually take a look at playing Limit Holdem. For many, the transition from No Limit to Limit can be a difficult one. Let’s take a look at a few pointers to help make the transition smoother.

First, in Limit Holdem your objective is to win pots and bet, not stack. This concept is alone makes playing Limit a lot tougher than No Limit for some. In No Limit, one or two pots can erase a deficit and make you a winner for a session. The same is not true in Limit Holdem. Limit Holdem is more of a slow grind and building a profit is the end goal and not one that can be hit by sucking out on one big hand on the river.

Next, Limit Holdem is much more math driven than No Limit Holdem. You need to have a strong grasp on odds and statistics to become a successful Limit Holdem player. You don’t need to know the winning percentage of 10-9 vs. 7-8 for example but you do need to know what type of price the pot is laying to you and pot odds. There are many times that you will make a call in Limit Holdem based not on the fact that you are winning but due to the fact that a pot is laying huge odds. For example, if you hold bottom pair and the pot is laying 13 to 1 to you, you are likely going to call a bet on the river even if you know you are beat. About the only way you would fold here is if the player has flashed you his cards.

Bluffing is much more difficult to do in Limit Holdem. The main reason is that many players take the “oh it’s only one bet” mentality. Other times it is due to the fact that they are getting pot odds to call. One common complaint from No Limit players is that they “cannot push a person off a hand.” I am not saying that you cannot bluff in Limit Holdem, but I am saying that it will not work with nearly the same frequency as No Limit.

You will also draw more frequently in Limit Holdem than in No Limit due to the fact that you will have proper odds to draw. Again, the inability to push players off draws is another common complaint by No Limit players.

For those switching from No Limit to Limit, prepare for a bit of a challenge and prepare for a bit of frustration. Playing Limit takes a different skill set but it is a game that can be mastered with a bit of preparation and practice. Good luck to you at the tables.

One common problem that Holdem Poker players experience is not being able to get away from the table when they are in a losing session. Players will leave a table early to preserve a win but will stick around for hours to try and chase lost money. As a result they end up losing more money than was necessary for a session.

Recently a friend of mine was having this problem and one solution that I suggested to him to help to keep losses down is to institute a stop loss. A stop loss is a system that a poker player sets up to limit the amount of money the player loses in a day. The way it works is simple. If you reach the limit that you set, you leave the game or quit for the day.

Stop losses come in two types. The first is a session stop loss. This sets a limit for the player for each individual session. Let’s say you play No Limit and you set a stop loss at 3 buy-ins per session. If you lose, you leave the game. This is a simple plan but it does come with a potential pitfall. Let’s say that you play a session and go on a bad streak and leave the session. You could just as easily buy-in to another table or at a later time in the day.

The type of stop loss that I personally recommend is a daily stop loss. This type of stop loss sets a limit relative to the limits that you are playing. If you reach your stop loss for the day, you are done for the day. For example, many players will set their stop loss at 30 big bets. If you are playing $5-$10 Limit Holdem, 30 big bets is $300. If you lose $300 in a day, you leave the game and come back another day. The main reason that most stop losses are 30 big bets is that it is very hard to win more than 30 big bets in a day in a typical Limit game. Five buy-ins to a NL game is about the equivalent.

Stop losses are great tools, but a player must have the discipline to follow their stop loss regardless of the game. There are some players that will stay in a “good game” and lose more money just because the game is good. Seldom will you be able to recover 30 big bets or 5 buy-ins in a single session once it is lost. What you risk is putting yourself further in the red.

A big key to managing ones bankroll is to keep loses at a minimum. Tools such as the stop loss will allow you to get away from a game when you are running bad. This in turn will help to preserve your bankroll and allow you to come back and fight another day. Good luck to you at the tables.

I have been playing No Limit Texas Holdem for many, many years and parts of the game are still mysteries to me. The game is a simple one, yet mastering it can be a life long process. Every time you sit at a Texas Holdem table you will learn something new, you will gain knowledge and become a better player. My personal feeling is that no matter the books you have read, the games you have played in or the people you have played with, if you don’t learn from your mistakes you will not fulfil your goals. There in lies the real question, what are your goals when playing poker. Every player realizes that you cannot win every time you play, therefore your goal should be to find consistency. There are going to be good and bad days, its unavoidable. To find consistency you need to trust your instincts, play in games that suit you and continue to learn on a daily basis. Whether you play at a professional level or just for nickels and dimes with friends, the goal is to win more then you lose.

A lot of players who are experienced run into the same problems, and most of the time the problem is themselves. Me included, I am my own worst enemy. If your brain is full of knowledge on betting styles, bluffing tactics and stack control why do you still lose when you play? Basically having all this knowledge doesn’t ensure that you will use it correctly. There are a few ways you can help avoid long losing streaks and I am going to try and help you realize these principles. As stated earlier consistency is the key, your not going to win every time, but as long as you win more then you lose you can be a successful Texas Holdem player.

Play Your Games

One of the biggest mistakes by Holdem players of all levels is changing there styles. You might not even realize that you are doing it, but if you stray from your winning strategy it can cause you to be a losing player. Major reasons that people change there style in game is because they want to show off there abilities, because they are bored and because they want to win so much they won’t let the game just happen. Boredom is one of the biggest problems that Holdem players run into, especially when you are playing long sessions. Keep an eye out for this when at the tables, if there are players who are card dead, they might be looking for any excuse to get into the action. We have all had sessions when it seems like you just get any cards, like every time you look at your hole cards it’s a 7 – 2 or J – 5, you will get bored. My suggestion is when you are bored and can’t control your urges to get in the action, walk away, take a break and relax. There is a reason you see a lot of players wearing head phones on television games, that is to try and control there boredom. I can’t state this enough, never show off at the poker table. Texas Holdem is not a game that requires you to prove that you are a good player, winning is what matters at the end of the day. Remember the goal is not to win a pot individually, its to have a winning session in total. You might lose a battle from time to time, but as long as you win the war, you will leave the table with a smile on your face. Let the game come to you, if the times right make your advanced plays, but if the opportunity doesn’t arise don’t do it. Winning poker players have a drive to win and this is necessary to be a good player, but it can also be a curse. It seems like I say this to much, but you need to know that you can’t win every time you play.

Stakes

This is a problem that some players just can’t get through there heads, never play with money you can’t afford to lose. Every time you make the choice to play, there is a chance you can go broke. Playing at stakes that you feel comfortable with, and that you can afford will make it easier to make decisions. If you have ever sat at a No Limit Holdem table, when you are forced to make a decision, and it goes through your mind that you can’t lose that much money, its time to go down a level. Playing a smaller stakes can make decisions easier and help you with stand longer losing streaks.

Trust Your Instincts

Gut feelings are important if you are an advanced player. If you have played a lot of Holdem you have built in instincts that you might not be aware of. Trusting these feeling is easier said then done, case and point we have all seen Daniel Negreanu call a players hand and make the call anyways losing pots. To trust your instincts correctly knowing basic poker math and probabilities, will allow you to make the right decisions. Trust me you have these instincts, and if you learn to trust them, your game will improve.

The more you play Texas Holdem you will realize that there is no perfect winning formula. If you stay out of your own way, it will help you become consistent. There will be good days and bad, if you control your emotions you can be a good player. Getting out of your own way is not easy, and you probably can’t do it every day. Finding consistency in your game will allow you to be a better player. If you try and follow some of these basic skills you will become a better player and make more money.  Stay out of your own way, play your game, and trust your instincts and continue to learn and become a better No Limit Texas Holdem player.