A Beginner's Guide to Texas Hold'em
A Beginner's Guide to Texas Hold'em is not an introduction to the
basic rules of Texas Hold'em. To find detailed information on how
Texas Hold'em is played, please visit our Texas Hold'em lesson page.
Instead, this guide is focused on helping you understand
the game better and give you some tips on how to become a better Texas
Hold'em player. We hope you'll find it intriguing.
Texas Hold'em is the king of all poker games. And it requires
a ton of skill. But still the most skilled player in the world can't
beat a lucky strike. So anything can happen. But we thought we'd
guide you through the most essential strategy assessments.
Start at the Bottom
Even if you turn out to be the biggest poker talent the world has
ever seen, you are best off starting at the bottom. Playing low stakes
limit games or tournaments is a good way to get a lot of hands under
your belt without taking too big a risk. Sure limit games can be tricky
and lacks the element of bluffing, but as a newcomer bluffing is probably
not the thing to try. Limit games are much more controlled and less
risky to experiment a little with. And as in all things, experimentation
is a good way to learn fast.
Don't trust your $1000000000 Play Money Stack!
If you've won a ton of money playing with play money you probably
got what it takes to become a good real money player too. But the
games differ a lot. So don't jump into a high stakes real money
game expecting to kick butt. But you are probably set to take on a
low stakes game. Because sometimes they are even wilder than play
money games!
Starting hand Value
Your two pocket cards, or hole cards, are the only factors that separate
your hand from the other players' hands. So learning how to
play them is vital. An AA (ace-ace) combo simply has a much greater
chance of winning than say a 7-3 combo. Play the good starting hands.
Fold the bad.
Position Play
Being seated in “late position” in a poker
game is a huge advantage since you then get to see your opponents
make their moves before you have to act yourself. To become a good
player, one must understand, and learn to take advantage of this advantage.
A good starting hand in an early position may actually be a worse
hand to play than a bad hand in late position.
Fold
No matter the betting round, if you have nothing and can't
draw to anything, fold faster than Superman on laundry day. It's
as simple as that.
Hand Nicknames
AA
Pocket Rockets, Bullets, American Airlines
KK
Cowboys, King Kong
QQ
Double date, Canadian Aces, Siegfried and Roy
JJ
Fish hooks
99
German virgin (no, we don’t know why)
88
Snowmen
77
Sunset strip
66
Route 66
55
Speed limit
44
Magnum, Sail boat
33
Crabs
22
Ducks
AK
Big slick
AQ
Big chick
AJ
Black Jack, Jack-ass
KQ
Royalty, Marriage
KJ
Kojak
J5
Jackson five
Q3
Gay waiter
95
Dolly Parton
A8
Dead man’s hand (A player named Wild Bill Hickok
was shot in 1876 after winning with it!)
K9
Canine
J4
Flat tyre
93
The Sik. (A legendary PokerRoom.com hand made
famous by the members of the Pokah! forum)
By following these simple guidelines you'll be better prepared
for the thrill, rush and excitement of online poker!
