 |
Texas holdem acting |
 You’ve seen the TV shows, you’ve heard the hype, and you have finally decided you would like to try the hottest poker card game of all time. But when it comes to Texas Hold’em, you haven’t the slightest idea of where to begin. You don’t know a flop from a fold or river from a runner-runner, and you’re just a little bit intimidated. The good news is that Texas Hold’em is one of the easiest poker games to learn. There’s a saying about Texas Hold’em that is absolutely true: "it takes minutes to learn and a lifetime to master." |
 The all in bet has been a staple of big poker tournaments ever since the ESPN cameras became part of the sport’s reality. There are a number of reasons for this that can be explained from a tactical point of view, but the reality is that the all in bet is exciting: it’s the "Home Run" of the sport of poker, and makes for good viewing. Newer players have been watching this on television for years, and it has become an accepted part of the game. In older days these types of all or nothing gambits were less frequent. |
 Then you bet, one of the players (let’s call him Sonny) raises, the others just call. The turn disappoints you: 6s comes there. Sonny bets, others - fold. You’re heads-up... |
 In Limit Holdem best players either raise or fold. Never call. But sometimes... |
 What do you do when your opponents have stacks of chips that resemble the Sears tower and the number of plastic disks in front of you can be counted on one hand? |
 The check-raise is an important Holdem tactic and one everyone should make a part of their arsenal. Check-raising helps control the pot, read your opponents, and is an invaluable tactic when playing in early position. |
 Most of time you’re not dealt pocket aces.. But it doesn’t mean that most of time you should fold… |
 But always think if your hand will bear three raises. Is it strong enough for it? |
 Victory in Texas Holdem is never guaranteed. The nuts can be bluffed out of the pot. You can win with trash. It all comes down to how you play, and how the others at your table play. If you play better than them, you’ll win the pot. If not, you’ll lose your bets. It’s that simple, and the cards don’t really weigh in on it. |
 If he does have a flush then he’ll raise you. And in the latter case you’d better fold. |
 But sometimes when you don’t fold on the river it costs you too much. |
 This example is good if you have the highest end of the straight. If you have a King-high straight that I think it’s better to fold |
 Think - you don’t bluff using only one strategy: tight-passive, for example. This makes you readable. So, sometimes you just HAVE TO BLUFF. |
 The risks of a shorthanded table are much greater than those at a full one. Therefore, inexperienced players should stay away from these situations, but this isn’t the only reason. Shorthand tables are a poor environment to learn Holdem in, in addition to their greater risks. |
 Deciding how much to raise in a game of No Limit Holdem requires careful thought. Raising too much or too little might clue your opponents in and reveal the strength of your hand. |
 Nobody has ever gone into a poker game with the battle cry of “Take my money!” If you ever do meet a player who treats his stack of chips like an Enron 401k plan, I suggest taking advantage of this person as often and aggressively as possible. |
 The river has its own unique place in the game of poker. Unlike previous betting rounds, there is no chance of improving your hand at this point. A player betting on the river either has confidence in his cards, or is bluffing their briefs off. Semi-bluffs are non-existent and the time to knock another player out is long past. |
 Anybody who has ever hired a private investigator to shadow their significant other knows that information is experience. Was it worth it to find out that their partner has a habit of wearing seatless chaps while doing things with vegetables that can only be classified as a crime against nature? |
 What is a calling station? Twenty years ago it would have been something Clark Kent slipped into just before ripping off his glasses and tie to become Superman. Of course most people know this as a phone booth, but calling station works as well. |
 Winning is what separates good players from the rest of the fish in the sea. What separates a good player, though, from someone of the caliber of Benny Binion? Well the easy answer is, a lot. Beating the guys from the mail room in your basement game doesn’t exactly mean that someone is going to name a casino after you. One of the aspects that can help make a good player great, though is value betting. |
 The internet is a place that is full of deception. For example, every guy you meet on while chatting online will describe himself in terms usually reserved for ancient Gods. The phrase "smoldering volcano of virile sexuality" may come across your screen when this person tells you about himself. |
 There are situations outside of IRS audits, Grand Jury investigations, and dinner at the in-laws that will require you to deceive two or more people. There are times during a hand though, that bluffing against the rest of the table is necessary. |
 Every decision you make after deciding to stay in a hand balances on the question: do you want people out, or do you want money in? Getting people out of the pot increases your chances of winning it, but at the same time, you want the other players to put their money in. |
 If you are sitting in the early position, and you have a maniac seated after you in a middle seat, you can use this player’s natural reactionary personality to your advantage. Like most players, even a maniac will simply call the big blind in pre-flop betting and wait to react to what the guys in the late position are going to do. If you are in an early position with a playable hand, you may want to consider using a semi-bluff in this position. |
 In the book Super System, Doyle Brunson claims to have made very sparing use of the check/raise. Usually if Mr. Brunson has something to say about the game of poker most people usually just sit crossed legged on the floor and listen to him like children hearing Aesop spin his favorite fables. |
 A lot of players, when their stacks are hopelessly short, will often decide to go all in on their next decent hand. Their thinking is, "I’m already beat. I might as well take a go at it." |
 In the game of Texas Holdem bluffing is one strategy that must be handled with care. Whether the game is pot limit, fixed limit, or no limit, bluffing can easily bite the hand that wields it. |
 When you end up Heads Up in Texas Holdem, it is time to turn up the heat. Aggression is rewarded in No Limit Texas Holdem, but even the most aggressive of players has to play it safe at some point in a tournament unless he is counting on luck only. |
 How slow is slow playing? That is a fair question on a topic that most Texas Holdem players think they understand, but often play incorrectly. Like the game itself, which "takes moments to learn but a lifetime to master," the concept of slow playing is an easy one - you play a very strong hand very weakly, or slowly, to fool your opponent into thinking you have a very weak hand. |
 Who wouldn’t want to be Gus Hansen? Bald, Danish, and completely unreadable at the poker table. Gus is called the "Poker Trashman" because he plays with junk hands as often as he plays with premium ones - and wins. |
 When playing Texas Holdem, you might think the only goal - or at least the only goal that really matters - is to win. However, there are plenty of other goals you might wish to attain while you play that have nothing to do with winning that particular hand, or that particular event, but which can help you over all become a more consistent winner. |
 This is one of the questions in the world of No Limit Texas Holdem that seems to go overlooked quite a bit; do you really want to complete your small blind, or should you just let it go? The fact is that the answer should really be "Let it go" more often than you might imagine. |
 Everyone dreams of taking down monster pots when playing Texas Holdem, especially if your game is of the no limit variety. Using both hands to rake in a pile of chips is a great feeling, but often players who chase huge pots - and actively try to build them, are stung when their holdings fail and they watch another very happy player raking in all those chips. |
 When you sit down to play a little No Limit Texas Holdem, especially in the tournament format, small mistakes can end up costing you in a big way. The ultimate price you pay in a tournament is not making it to the money first, and not making it to first place second. Busting out on the bubble or before means you walk with nothing, and if you can avoid that by avoiding small mistakes, then it is in your best interests to do so. |
 We’ve all seen them. Loose, aggressive players with erratic behaviors and a seeming disregard for the contents of their hand. They’re the so called "maniacs", the wild cards at the table. You’ll find them at all sorts of low stakes games - their erratic play style preventing them from ever graduating from the bush leagues. |
 They’re the best you can get before the flop, and some of the strongest building blocks for a good hand post flop. They’re pocket pairs, and they are a rare sliver of great luck. |
 Playing longhand limit poker is an exercise in patience. There are a lot of players at the table, and you aim to be the last one there at the end of the night. The mass of players around you might make you want to make some quick and early takedowns to cut down on the competition, but this is a risky endeavor, and there’s no reason to take adverse risks in a longhand limit game. |
 This article will examine stack size in relation to strategy from two angles. First, overall stack size, and second, relative stack sizes at the table. |
 You know the value of good starting hands in Texas Holdem. So let’s assume you got a suited ace (an ace and any other card from the same suit). You got a great hand going into the flop and you’re ready to pull in a big pot. You slow bet so as not to give away your hand, and it gets to the flop. And you flop nothing. |
 Sometimes a check is not a sign of weakness but a trap, and it is smart not to pounce with an all in move. While the idea of "all in" is what makes No Limit Holdem such a popular game - and a dangerous one - just like any weapon the all in move should be used with caution and responsibility. |
 In his book "Awakening the Giant Within", self motivation guru Tony Robbins talks about breaking cycles as a key element to changing behavior. Anything that could break a cycle is a good thing, according to the book, if your brain stops running on auto pilot and pays attention to what you want it to. |
 When playing Texas Holdem tournaments you need to keep track of pot sizes, stack sizes, players’ betting habits, how your luck is running, and the like. After some time you can get into a bit of a rhythm after your brain has processed a lot of this info, and you will start making decisions that seem like instinct, but are really just faster correct decisions because your brain already has the info it needs. Then, suddenly, you are making mistakes and losing chips like bucket with a hole in the bottom loses water. What happened? Likely the table changed, and you didn’t. |
 You check raised at the flop, and the betting has been steady. Now you’ve reached the turn, and the fourth card has fallen, what do you do? |
 You’ve played to the flop, and now you’re sitting there with nothing but a low pair. You may immediately want to fold, and save yourself some dough, but there are occasions where playing this hand can be worth it. |
 When you flop the top pair, you’re really sitting pretty. Your job now is to get the pot such a good hand deserves. Slow betting is good before the flop, but when you flop top pair, you want to play aggressively. There are two reasons why you want to do this. First, you want to trim the field. High card pairs play best against one or two opponents. |
 You’re sitting there with a decent draw. Let’s say a king and a nine. You play it out, and the flop is jack, nine, six. You just got a middle pair. |
 One of the first, most basic lessons of Texas Holdem strategy is position. The later you are in the betting order, the stronger your situation is. You have more time to act, you have more information to act upon, and you have an opportunity to bluff when others pass. To top it off, other players know you are in a stronger spot because you have position over them, and often take that into account when making a call. |
 The last round of betting, the river, is a unique round in poker. Unlike during the other rounds, there is no chance of improving your hand after the river card hit the table. The cards have been dealt, and you’re stuck with what you got. |
 Many times you have heard that you need to slow play a monster hand. "Lay a trap with pocket rockets" the books say, and "if you flop the nuts, check and call to let your opponent make a weaker hand". Both ideas are absolutely good ideas, but they are not the be all and end all of poker strategy. |
 The river is the moment of truth for the players, where pots are won and lost, and people toss their cards down in disgust or joyous victory. |
 You’re at the river. The final round. The moment of truth. What do you do? In the previous installments about the river, we talked generally about the four kinds of hands you could have at the river, and specifically about one of those categories, the sure thing. In this installment, we’re going to examine the second and third categories. |
 With heavy precipitation blanketing the Mid-West and the inevitable threat of flooding, it’s only appropriate we continue discussing the river, the final round in a hand of poker. |
 One of the mistakes beginning players make is that they simply don’t fold enough. They play loose, and they end up losing a lot more of poor hands than they do off of good hands. So, one of the most common pieces of poker advice that is given to beginning players is: fold, fold, fold. |
 Showing your cards sends a message to your opponents, depending on what the cards are, what the result of the hand was, and how many cards you show. |
 Why do players always slow play a monster? The short answer is because they have been led to believe it is the best way to get maximum return on a hand, and to boot they just hate the thought of having everyone fold away and only picking up blinds with the nut flush or a full boat. |
 Aggression is a key factor in any Texas Holdem game - and the riskier the limits, the more this holds true. If you find yourself in a no limit game, aggression can mean the difference between winning and losing, and this is even more true in a heads up match. |
 Poker is a mental game, for sure, and one of the best ways to upset your opponent and get an edge over them is to lay a trap for them and catch them unawares. |
 You know the drill - in Texas Holdem, once you see the flop, you have most of the information you need to decide what to do next. After all, you’ve seen five of the seven cards you are going to see - two in your hand, and three on the board. |
 Position, it is said, is the most important part of Texas Holdem strategy. While that point might be debatable, it is no doubt that position is important in a good strategy, but what about using other players’ positions against them? |
 Inexperienced players often make the mistake of thinking too short-term when playing poker. Their vision becomes myopic, and they refuse to look ahead or think about how their actions will pan out. |
 When you sit down to play heads up Texas Holdem poker, probably the last thing you are considering as part of your strategy is giving the other player a chance to win. |
 Bluffs done wrong are big money makers - which mean they are big money losers to someone, and you don’t want that someone to be you. Anytime you toss money into the pot in a game of Texas Holdem and you are not holding the nuts, you are risking a loss, and becoming a good poker player is all about how to manage that risk. |
 Everyone who plays Texas Holdem knows that the game involves a lot of math to be played correctly, but how many apply their skills at calculating outs and figuring pot odds in a bluffing situation when they are the ones making the bluff? |
 When a player hesitates before he calls a pre flop raise, what does it mean? Like everything in poker, the answer starts with "It depends...", but the question is the real lesson here. |
 Aggression in poker doesn’t have to mean acting like the jerk of the table. Think of aggression as your way to make the most of a good hand. You should aggressively play that good hand using all of your best decision making skills. |
 Position, as you likely know, is vitally important to decision making in Texas Holdem poker. With position you have the power to change the pot odds, steal the pot, or walk away from a bad hand without losing any money. There are other ways to hold power at the table similar to position, such as taking the lead in betting, dictating the pace of the hand. The question is, what do you do when someone else has the power and you want it? |
 You’re sitting at the table watching this smart shark take this poor fool for everything he’s worth. You can’t help but grin at the hapless player as he throws good chips after bad, being bluffed all the way to the river. You feel a sense of comradery with the shark, he’s doing what you love to do most, rob a fool and make it all his fault. What are you doing wrong? |
 Let’s assume you are down to mano a mano, heads up for the win, and you are chip leader by at least three to one. You take a look down at your starting hand and see two 7’s staring back at you. You take a moment to think, and then move all in. Did you just make a huge mistake, or take the right kind of risk to win the event? |
 It’s one of the most dramatic and game stopping gestures you can possibly make in poker. Going all in. Putting every last chip on the line. It’s the ultimate last desperate bluff, or the ultimate shut it down call. Either way, when you go all in, you ma | |
