Texas Hold´Em is the most popular poker game in the world right now. It’s the game you see being played on all of those TV poker shows, the main game at poker tournaments, the type of poker usually played online, and the game which is usually played in casinos and card rooms, too. Part of [...]
The majority of regular poker players never seem to be able to come to grips with exactly what they are doing — or, more accurately, what it is that they are trying to do. Middle-limit ring game players are notorious for being cry babies whenever time collection charges are due. There are lots of tales [...]
There are a few good starting hands in No Limit Holdem, but usually suited connectors have the potential to win the largest pots. Limit Holdem and No Limit Holdem are two entirely different games. This often goes misunderstood or unrecognized. In Limit Holdem, the gist is more about starting hands. I would almost never play [...]
Often times people wonder about the best way to play Texas Holdem poker, and they get frustrated when they realize there is no one best way to play this kind of card game. Nevertheless, there are different kinds of Texas Holdem techniques which may be used as you try to survive at the poker table [...]
Whether you win or lose, you need to make sure that you walk out of a room without having made enemies or having embarrassed yourself, otherwise you might not get invited back to the table in a future event. Be sure not to taunt other players when you are up, or whine when you are [...]
The more poker that you play, you will find, the more important that it is to be good at shuffling and dealing hands in Texas Hold’em. In a home game, you most likely will not be dealing quite the same way that a professional dealer would, but it is still nice to be able to [...]
In order to make the transition from No Limit Hold’em to Pot Limit Omaha as painless as can be, here is an idea of what constitutes a good starting hand. The main concept that No Limit Hold’em players tend to forget about is that your four card starting hand is actually like having six hands [...]
RAZZ is a much different kind of poker game because you win the game by having the worst hand. You make up five cards out of seven available cards. There are no community cards but each player will be dealt 2 cards face down, 4 cards face up, and one last card face down. As [...]
Sometimes poker players are afraid to raise ‘less they have they have the cajones. Instead of raising, they prefer to call and “control the pot” with hands that may be beaten. But know this, a raise can actually save you more money than calling and controlling the pot when you have a big hand. Let’s [...]
Let’s take a close look at what happens when cards are removed, that is, not available anymore, for whatever reason. Reasons: 1) It is in your hand 2) It appears on the board 3) It is in an opponent’s hand The last reason is only valid for games like seven card stud, where you get [...]
Careful player! Don’t you start betting like a madman. When you get two eights in the pocket, you need to consider very carefully all of the factors involved in a solid pre-flop strategy. The factors to take into account are the number of players, how aggressive or passive the players at the table are, your [...]
I want to tell you a little story… Long before the game of poker became so popular, many people had the misconception that cheating was rife within. An endemic. But the truth is that cheating was less common than people think. Once labeled a “cheat,” it would be nearly impossible for the player to get [...]
Like Lowball and wild cards, sandbagging is one of those things that comes up every now and again as a subject of dispute between home players. While it is accepted by most, some tables have adopted the convention of banning it from their game for the sake of keeping things friendly. Poker is a game [...]
As in all dealer-button games, a random draw will determine the position which will start with the button. Two blinds are posted to the left of the button. The small blind will be equal to one-half the small bet, the big blind will be equal to the small bet. Both blinds are live and may [...]
Poker is always an internal struggle, and I would say, more so than an external one. This implies an emphasis on self-management above all else. Dangers and challenges lurk in every corner, just waiting to put your character to the test. To become a better poker player, it’s important to develop your character. Any weakness [...]
To calculate your equity (odds of winning the pot), you need to first know how many outs you have to make. This becomes quick with a little practice and a little memorization. Remember that there are four cards of every value, and 13 of every suit. If you have an open-ended straight draw, there are [...]
Action An opportunity to act. Ante A small portion of chips contributed by each player at the beginning of a hand All-In To run out of chips while betting. Backdoor Catching both the turn and river card to make a drawing hand. Bad Beat To have a large underdog hand beat a heavily favored hand. [...]
Five of a King: When using a joker or wild cards, Five of a Kind is the best hand, with five aces (the four natural aces plus the joker). Flush: If there is no joker, the best possible hand is a Straight Flush: five consecutive cards of the same suit. The highest straight flush is [...]
Bluffing is one of the most key elements in being a good poker player. It comes down to this, if you do not bluff: there’s no way that you can be successful. At the same time however, it is an art form. It should not be; it CANNOT be overused. In Texas Hold’em, the opportunity [...]
So you’re new to poker, but you think that you have what it takes to win big at the Casino. Here are some tips that will make the novice look like a weathered poker shark in no time. Remember, poker is a very psychological game, so make sure, that before you sit down at a [...]
When poker players want to quit pussy-footing around with small stakes, and decide to get down to the real nitty-gritty, they often go for a game of Guts poker. “Guts” poker, for the most part follows similar guidelines as other variations but is characterized by the calling of “in” or “out”, as well as the [...]
While rare in Casino and Tournament play, five-card draw is common in home Poker; it is often the first variation of the game, showed to novices. For betting, an ante is usually used – this is when all of the players put into the center pot an agreed amount of chips. This may happen before [...]
The third most popular version of online poker and still a classic at real card tables is Seven-Card Stud. It is the most popular in home games across the United States and in casinos. There can be two to eight players, though the more players, the trickier the rules get. Play proceeds with betting rounds [...]
This is a community card version of poker. The focus is as much on betting as it is on the cards being played. Texas Holdem is played on a single table with 2 to 10 players. The goal is to win as many chips as you can. A pot is won by having the best [...]