Poker Strategy for Texas Hold'em

Texas Hold'em, also called Hold'em Poker, is widely regarded as the world's most popular poker game. From major poker tournaments like the World Series of Poker (WSOP) at Benny Binion's Horseshoe in Las Vegas or the World Poker Tour (WPT) on television to online poker tournament sites especially at peak hours, it is Texas Hold'em that almost always drives the highest traffic of poker players with their sights set on raking in a handsome pot. A game that has made a lot of world poker champions and poker millionaires through the years, Texas Hold'em is a huge crowd favorite, especially for beginners in the live card rooms of casinos worldwide. The rules are fairly easy to learn yet nice pots can be won by the clever and cunning. You might want to read the rules first , or just get to the strategies then play poker already to test what you've learned right away.

Texas Hold'em Tactics

Medium pairs, such as eights and nines, can be a profitable way to begin a game of 7 Card Stud but NOT Texas Hold'em. With small pairs, you can actually end up losing money because, if any higher card hits the board, chances are an opponent has made a pair of that rank by using just one card.

It is tougher to catch up to your opponents in Texas Hold'em than in 7 Card Stud. In the latter, you might start with a pair of sevens versus an opponent's pair of nines, then catch up with a pair of kings to win the game. In Texas Hold'em, that pair of kings will be on the communal board and you both improve to kings up. Do not get too excited about a card you see on the board unless it can only possibly work for your hand.

Opponents who act after you will have a positional advantage through all betting rounds after the first. So be extremely choosy about the cards you start with in the early positions. When you are first to act after the blinds, play only your premium hands like A A, K K, or A K. And because it's not likely you'll get those often, simply fold early.

Texas Hold'em Games

Limit Hold'em
A specific betting limit is applied in each game and on each round of betting. Each player is allowed up to four bets during any betting round. These include the bet, raise, re-raise, and cap. Capping refers to the final raise in a round; betting is then capped and no one can make another raise. Once capped, players only have the option of calling or folding.

Pot Limit Hold'em
A player can bet what is in the pot. The minimum allowed raise must be equal to the previous bet or raise in the same round. For example, if the first player to act bets $100, then the second player must raise a minimum of $100, making a minimum total bet of $200. The maximum allowed raise is the size of the pot, which means the total amount of the Active Pot (this can be either the main pot or the side pot, depending on whether any player has gone all-in) plus all bets on the table plus the amount the active player must first call before raising.

No Limit Hold'em
A player can bet all of his chips at any time. The minimum allowed raise must also equal the previous bet or raise in the same round. If the first player to act bets $100, then the second player must raise a minimum of $100, totalling a minimum bet of $200. The maximum allowed raise is the size of the player's stack, which means all his chips on the table.

In both Pot Limit Hold'em and No Limit Hold'em, there is no limit to the number of raises you can make, as long as you don't raise yourself. If you bet during a betting round, you will have to be raised by another player first before you can make a re-raise. If all the other players in the hand only call or fold, then you don't get the option to re-raise since the last raise was made by yourself.

Limit Hold'em Pointers

Limit Hold'em has structured betting and is a very popular low limit poker game. The lowest limit you will find in most casinos is 3/6. This means that the minimum bet is $3 during the first two betting rounds and $6 during the final two betting rounds. You will also find 5/10 and 10/20 games or higher. Here's how the game works, using the 3/6 game to illustrate.

To start a new hand, two blind bets are posted. The player to the immediate left of the dealer button holder posts the small blind, or approximately half the minimum bet. The next player to the left posts the big blind. There are no 50 cent chips. For example, for the 3/6 game, the small blind will be $1 and the big blind will be $3.

Aside from the two players who post the blinds, the rest at the table will not put up any money to start the hand. But because the dealer button rotates, each player will eventually act as the big blind, small blind, and dealer. This means it will cost a player $4 everytime the deal makes a complete rotation.

The player to the left of the big blind begins the first betting round. His options are to put in $3 to call the blind bet, put in $6 to raise the big blind, or fold. Turns proceed around the table until the small blind, who can call the bet by putting in $2 since a dollar was already posted. The last person to act is the big blind.

After the first betting round is complete and the dealer burns the top card on the deck, three community cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table. This is known as the Flop. All players can use the community cards. The minimum bet is now still $3.

After the second betting round and burn, a fourth community card is dealt face up. This is known as the Turn. The minimum bet is now $6.

After the third betting round and burn, a fifth card is turned face up. This is known as the River or Fifth Street. The final round begins with a minimum bet of still $6.

Players use any combination of two down cards and five board cards to form their highest 5-card hand. If the best hand is from the five cards on the board, the remaining players split the pot. A sixth card is never used to break a tie.

Poker Strategy Links
7 Card Stud
Common Poker Mistakes
Draw Poker
Poker Strategies
Poker Tips
Texas Hold'em

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Ace High - Poker Strategy for Texas Hold'em, also 7 Card Stud, Draw Poker, Poker Tips, Common Poker Mistakes

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