Tips On Playing Texas Holdem

Tips and Strategies on How to Play Texas Holdem Poker Cards. To be a great Texas Hold’em Poker player, you must be able to read/guess the enemy’s card, whether your enemy is just intimidating (bluffing) or they have strong cards. However, learning the basic rules and some basic Texas Hold’em Poker game strategies can also make you last.

• Tournament poker strategy has advanced in leaps and bounds over the past decade.And an 'old-school' style will no longer cut it at the poker tournament tables. In modern tournament poker playing styles, bet-sizing and the general approach to specific situations have all changed drastically.
• Considering how much money can be made by playing a good poker game it’s not surprising there is an overwhelming amount of resources dedicated to getting better at No-Limit Hold’em. These days you can consume poker books, blogs, forums, newsletters, websites, videos and even Twitch streams in an effort to get better at the game.

Tips On How To Play Texas Holdem Better

In no-limit hold'em, the term 'slow playing' doesn't typically refer to players thinking about their decisions for a long time and playing their hands too slowly — although that is a commonly discussed topic these days, especially in tournaments. Rather, slow playing usually refers to a player playing a strong hand weakly in order to encourage opponents to stay in the hand and hopefully contribute more chips to a pot the player expects to win.

If you've heard the term 'sandbagging,' the idea is similar. A player who flops the nuts watches his opponent lead with a bet, and instead of raising he just calls or 'sandbags' in order to disguise the strength of his hand.

If you think about it, slow playing is a little like other non-straightforward plays like check-raising or bluffing. You have a strong hand, but you choose not to represent strength and just check or call rather than bet or raise. Slow playing is essentially a deceptive play, and if executed smartly can result in your winning a bigger pot than you might have had you played your strong hand 'fast' with bets and raises.

Below are two short lists of 'do's' and 'don'ts' when it comes to slow playing. The discussion mainly focuses on slow playing after the flop, although a player could slow play before the flop, too. For example, someone with pocket aces in the big blind might watch a very loose player raise from late position, then decide only to call rather than reraise, looking instead to start building a big pot after the flop arrives.

We're focusing mainly on postflop poker here, though — that is, the flop and the turn, streets on which if you do hold a strong hand, you have an option to play your hand fast or slow. (There's no slow playing on the river — the action ends after that betting round!)

Slow Playing: Three Do's

Let's imagine a situation when you've flopped very strong and slow playing might be an option — say, you have and an eight appears on the flop to give you a set. You almost certainly have the strongest hand. What factors might encourage you to play non-straighforwardly with it and slow play?

1. Do Slow Play... Versus Loose and/or Aggressive Opponents

Slow playing works best when you are facing opponents who play a high percentage of hands (are 'loose') and who show a tendency to bet and raise a lot postflop (are 'aggressive'). These players will frequently 'bet the hand for you,' so to speak, and start building a pot, often on the flop.

Against such players it can be profitable to just to call (or if out of position, to check and then call) on the flop, then perhaps raise the turn with your set. Of course, against some loose players you'll want to go ahead and bet your strong hand and let them raise you, as that might be a better way to get even more chips in the middle.

When you slow play you are essentially setting a 'trap' in which you hope to catch an opponent (and capture his or her chips as a result). The strategy will often work more effectively against loose-aggressive players who are more likely to fall into the trap you are setting. It also works in situations when players don't seem to be paying attention to how you've been playing, say in low-stakes live games or in some online poker games.

2. Do Slow Play... On 'Dry,' Non-Coordinated Boards

So you've flopped a set with your — let's say the board reads . That's a very 'dry' or non-coordinated flop, presenting no immediate flush or straight draws. This would be a favorable situation to slow play your set, for a couple of reasons.

One reason is that you don't fear giving a 'free card' that might complete some draw for your opponent. On this flop, there are almost no turn cards that can hurt your hand, meaning your set of eights is almost certainly likely to still be best following the turn.

A second reason is that if you bet this flop, you'll often earn folds and a tiny pot when you stood to gain so much more. As we talked about when discussing 'set mining,' it's rare to flop a set, and when we have hands this strong we want to win big pots. Lead out with a bet on a dry board like this, and anyone without a king or pocket pair of their own is likely to go away.

3. Do Slow Play... In Heads-Up Situations

The advice here isn't always to slow play when you're heads-up, but rather to be more encouraged to slow play against a single opponent than in multi-way pots. Especially if your lone opponent is loose and/or aggressive and the board is not too coordinated, slow playing can be a reasonable option to try.

Multiple opponents add complexities to a postflop situation that can make slow playing a bad option (see below).

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Slow Playing: Three Don'ts

Let's continue with the same situation — you've flopped that set of eights — and look at three factors that should discourage you from slow playing your strong hand.

1. Don't Slow Play... Versus Tight and/or Passive Opponents

Slow playing is generally a bad idea when your opponents tend to fold a lot and play few hands (are 'tight') and when they do play are doing a lot of checking and calling (are 'passive'). These players cannot be counted on to bet themselves, and so you need to do the work of building a pot once you've flopped that monster.

After flopping a set, leading out with a bet against such players is often a good strategy. If they are tight and only play strong starting hands, they are more likely to have something of value with which to call your bet. Also, passive players like to call and stick around to see turns and rivers.

Don't bother with trying to 'trap' such players by slow playing, as you're more likely to miss value postflop.

2. Don't Slow Play... On 'Wet,' Coordinated Boards

Let's imagine different flops for your set of eights, say or — boards that are 'wet' or coordinated because they potentially give your opponents flush or straight draws. It should be clear why these boards are less favorable for slow playing, and again we can cite a couple of reasons why.

First, you obviously don't want to be checking these flops and giving your opponents a chance at that 'free card' on the turn that might complete their draws. On both of these boards, there are a lot of turn cards you wouldn't like to see that could make you less confident about your set.

Also, these are boards that are more likely to have hit your opponents' hands — they may have those draws, or they might have one-pair or even two-pair hands and will therefore be more likely to call if you bet. If they do have, say, just a pair and the turn is a 'scare card' that appears to complete a draw, they might shut down after that which means you'll miss value later on in the hand.

(Be smart, though. Some boards are going to be so wet you'll want to put on the brakes — not to slow play, but to control the size of the pot. If you're looking at on the turn, your set of eights isn't such a strong hand anymore.)

3. Don't Slow Play... Versus Multiple Opponents

Finally, as we were noting above, if you flop a set or some other very strong hand in a multi-way pot, you'll more than likely want to bet the hand (or raise someone else's bet) and not slow play.

With multiple opponents there's a greater likelihood someone has a piece of the flop and will give you the action you desire. Multiple opponents also mean more turn and river cards can be potentially bad for you by improving someone to a potentially better hand.

Conclusion

We have two final thoughts regarding slow playing to consider.

First, you'll encounter exceptions to all of the 'do's' and 'don'ts' listed above — that is, in some rare instances you might actually want to play fast against a certain opponent even though the board is dry, or to slow play strong hands versus multiple opponents. Consider the tips above as rules of thumb to follow, but like all such rules in poker, be ready to break them if circumstances strongly suggest you should.

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Lastly, don't slow play a big hand just for the sake of being different or to make a 'fancy,' non-straightforward play. That's the biggest 'don't' we can recommend, actually. Only slow play if the situation suggests doing so represents the best avenue toward winning the biggest pot possible. In fact, you'll probably find in most cases the 'don'ts' will prevail and it's going to be better to bet your sets and very strong hands postflop.

Also in this series...

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_{This article was originally published on Jul. 22, 2016. Last update: Jun. 15, 2019.}

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  cash game strategytournament strategyno-limit hold’emslow playingpostflop strategybeginner strategy

To be a great Texas Hold’em Poker player, you must be able to read/guess the enemy’s card, whether your enemy is just intimidating (bluffing) or they have strong cards. However, learning the basic rules and some basic Texas Hold’em Poker game strategies can also make you last longer in the Texas Holdem poker game.

Holdem Poker Tips

Two Main Things You Must Remember

These two things are very basic in Texas poker, and players should always remember this, but many players forget about them because they get carried away in the game. So try to always remember these two things in the game of poker.

1. The pair of cards you hold is the only pair of cards that differentiates you from other players, and these cards can give you a chance/chance to win

2. All cards face up on the table (community cards) are cards that can be used by you and all other players. So, always be aware of the possibility of straights and flushes at other players.

First Pair of Cards (Starting Hands)

At the start of the game, usually, the first decision must be taken when you get two cards in hand. Then how do you determine if your card is good?

In general, conservative/frugal type players will consider folding if the two cards in hand both have a value below 10. People who are even more conservative will even fold if one of the cards has a value below 10. However, for that type of player aggressively may keep playing with any card, for example, an 8, 9 cards or a card of the same suit (the card has a possible straight or a flush)

if the big blind places the smallest bet or when no player raises, there may be nothing wrong with placing a bet (call) when the hand is not good enough to see the flop (the first three cards opened in the middle of the table). But don’t make too many calls when the card isn’t good, because it can cause addiction and continuity.

In the starting card strategy in Texas poker, you have to be able to practice patience when you get less good cards, such as 5-8, 2-6, 4-9. Because, in the end, you will definitely get a good card, and that’s when you can take advantage. This is much better than wasting chips just to bet on a bad hand

Flop

A mistake that beginners often make is when they enter the flop (3 cards open on the table). Often players don’t want to fold when they see three cards on the table and think a better card will come out.

With seven players at the table, at least you have to get two pairs or a stronger card to win. If you don’t have a strong pair in hand after the flop, for example, a flop card: K-9-5 (then the strongest pair is the K pair), and if your card has no possibility of straight or flush, you should fold it.

However, you also have to remember that the fewer players who bet, the less likely a strong card will appear. So when there are only two or three players left at the table, playing with an aggressive strategy can also help you win.

Tips For Playing Texas Holdem Online

If you are the first player to bet after the flop is out, don’t be afraid to check. This can be beneficial in two ways. First, if your card is not too strong, you may be able to see the next card without having to increase the stake. Second, if your card is strong, you can convince your opponent that it is as if your card is weaker than theirs.

Tips On Playing Texas Holdem Cash Games

Card Four and Card Five

In Texas poker, the fourth card and the fifth card that is dealt in the middle of the table are usually referred to as “The Turn” and “The River”. This fourth card and fifth card can give you two opportunities, namely the opportunity to get out of the bet (fold) before you lose all your bet money, or the opportunity to increase the bet so that the winnings can be bigger.

At this stage, there will usually be two or three players left in the bet. On this occasion, you must be more vigilant. After the fourth card comes out, don’t take part in the bet if you still haven’t found a strong card (expect a straight or flush on the fifth card) unless the player is raising, you may check (don’t increase the bet).

Even though at some point you should get a straight or a flush, the chance of getting a straight/flush is much smaller and very risky than folding / out of the bet.

Ultimate Texas Holdem Table Game

So the point is to always be vigilant, don’t let yourself get dragged into big bets without a strong card.

Tips On Playing Texas Hold'em Tournaments

However, at certain times if you have placed a bet as much as 40% of the total chips you have, then an additional 5% more chips for betting may still be possible. But again, to stay alert to the possibility you could lose.