Texas Hold’em poker is one of the most popular forms of poker to play. There is some luck involved as there is in any gambling game, however, a good player will always beat bad players, and so knowing the rules and having a neat strategy will increase your chances of winning and give you more player potential.
Whether you play in the casino or play Texas Hold’em online, there are plenty of tips and tricks to make you a legendary player; visit Fanduel.com to try your luck there.
Today, we will share 5 tips with you to help you become the commander of your cards in Texas Hold’em.
1. Know your position
The best position you can have in Texas Hold’em is ‘on the button’. This means that you are the last person to act in three of four betting rounds- after the flop, the turn, and the river.
When it is your turn, you have full knowledge of how many players are still in the hand, and you can make a much better informed decision on how much to bet, if you should bet at all.
The worst position to be in is the small blind, after the flop, the turn, and the river, you would have to act first. This can be used to your advantage if you play aggressively however, it is better to act last.
2. Keep an eye on the other players
It is far too easy to get caught up in your own hand and lose sight of the others. Be aware of how many chips your opponents have, think about what cards they may have, and what their best hand could be.
Watching player trends is also helpful. You can try to figure out who bluffs, and who plays a tighter game. If a player never bets more than $10 but suddenly comes out with a $50 bet, then you should be cautious of their hand.
3. Keep the flop free of wandering eyes
If you have a strong hand, strong enough to see the flop, do not let others see it for free. At least raise by the minimum bet. Beginners will love to see the flop as cheap as possible, but it is dangerous to let them.
if your hand is an A-K, and the other players have a 7-4 or a 10-5, then you could get both of them out of the hand before the flop. However, if you let them see the flop for the price of the big blind, this could be disastrous.
4. Don’t be anxious to get out
For many beginners it can be hard to fold a hand after the flop. You will think you have already put money in, you may as well see it through. You can end up losing a lot of chips this way.
Even if you start off with a great hand, the flop could kill you. If you have A-K, but the flop comes up J-J-5, this will do you no good, and if someone else has a J you’re suddenly an underdog. Even if A or K or both came up, you’ll lose to the three j’s.
5. Avoid limping
Open limping is rare. There is only one instance where limping is correct, when the game is really passive, and you’re likely to see the flop for cheap with a speculative hand that has good implied odds.
Unless you are in a multi-way pot for cheap, with suited connectors or set-mining a small pocket pair, avoid the open limp like a crocodile in a river.
6. Know your best starting hands
The best way to get a head start as a beginner to Texas Hold’em Poker is to know what the best starting hands in the game are.
Let’s take a look.
The best starting hands are as follows; A-A, K-K, Q-Q, J-J, A-K suited, A-Q suited, 10-10, A-K unsuited, A-J suited, K-Q suited.
Good starting hands are hands which typically do not need to hit the flop, like the big pairs, or they may make the best hand when they do hit the flops. These hands make for good possible flushes and make top pairs with very strong second cards.
Alternatively, the worst cards are ones which do not offer the possibility to hit a straight, or a flush with both cards, they are usually unconnected and unsuited. They typically hit low pairs or top pairs with shoddy kickers, and you will end up losing when your opponent hits the same pair with a better kicker.
These hands should not be played. They are as follows; 7-2 united, 8-2 unsuited, 7-3 unsuited, 8-3 suited, 2-9 unsuited, 3-9 unsuited, 4-9 unsuited, 2-10 united, 5-9 unsuited, 4-7 unsuited, 4-8 unsuited, 5-8 unsuited, 6-3 unsuited, Q-3 unsuited, K-2 unsuited, J-5 unsuited, A-2 unsuited, A-4 unsuited, A-6 unsuited.
7. Manage your pairs wisely
Firstly, do not overplay your single pair hands. Putting in a whole load of chips when you just have a single pair is not a good idea. If you have a middle pair or a top pair with a weak kicker, and you face strong bets from an opponent, then you are usually beat. Fold, and keep an eye on your opponent and win your chips back when you are the one with the strong kicker. Texas Hold-em is all about strategy, so, even if you are excited you got a pair, finally, hold off, check out what your opponents are doing, and wait for the golden opportunity.
Similarly, do not slow play big pairs. This means Aces, Kings, and Queens. They are usually great hands to be putting a tonne of chips into the pot, unless you see the flop with many opponents, of course. The chance of someone hitting a better hand than yours will be bigger if this is the case. Raise your big pairs preflop to fold out the weaker hands that might flop a lucky two pair. It gives yourself a higher chance of winning the hand. Remember, It’s not always about the cards, but how you play them.
