Texas Hold’em is a game that takes years of study to practice. The game may seem easy enough when you first begin; however, as you spend more time playing the same, you will see that there is a lot to learn about this card game. Poker isn’t all about luck. There are actual strategies you can put in place to increase your chances of winning. Below are some dos and don’ts for beginners of Texas Hold’em.
Variations of Texas Hold’em
There are three primary types of hold’em: no limit, limit, and pot limit. The most popular of these games is no limit Texas Hold’em. It is fast paced, intense, and dynamic. There will be times during a single session when you are down, and there will be times during the session when you are up. It isn’t unusual to see two people put all their money in the middle during a hand of no limit Texas Hold’em.
Tips
Always play the good hands. You don’t have to play until the river, but you should always see the flop, no matter how much the pre-flop raise is. These hands include top pairs like Aces, Kings, and Queens. Ace/King, Ace/Queen, and Ace/Jack should also be played. Some people consider suited connects – two cards of the same suit that follow each other numerically – to be premium hands too.
Position is also important in Hold’em. If you act later in the hand, you may want to branch out on which cards you play. You can get away with playing Ace/ten as a strong hand if you are on the button; you may not want to play Ace/ten so aggressively under the gun though.
Slow playing is key to many players’ success. You want to primarily show aggression during a hand you want to play. This way when you do slow play a hand it can throw your competition off.
Things to Avoid
Don’t overplay cards just because they are suited. Three/nine suited does have a chance of making a flush, but a flush is about the only thing you can make with that hand.
Don’t play limit Hold’em the same way you would no limit either. In limit, bet sizes are restricted, meaning you won’t be winning any extravagant pots. Instead, you will have to win frequent small pots to see a profit. This means playing tighter, sometimes even folding low suited connectors pre-flop.