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GUIDE TO TEXAS HOLDEM First of all, let me state that this system 100% works, but works more to your advantage when playing at higher limits of poker. This is because you can effectively weed out the junk hand players who can beat your better hand when they get lucky and catching something on the turn or river. You can make money playing at any level, but with less frustration when playing at higher levels. The only starting hands you can even begin to consider playing: Any pair. Suited cards: 2 consecutive down to 87s, one-gaps down to J9s, two-gaps down to Q9s, AXs. Unsuited cards: 2 consecutive down to JT, one-gaps down to QT, two-gaps down to KT, AT or better. The above hands cannot be played in any position because with some hands you need multi-way action to make the payoffs worth the risks. For example you hold JTs, with a hand like this you really want to make a straight or a flush. If you just pair or even trip up your J or T you have a chance of winning but it is likely you will be up against AT or KJ or something like that and be in kicker trouble. Since this is a drawing hand in order to make it profitable to see the flop you need to have multiple players in. Which means it is a hand you should be playing in late position when you have seen players call ahead of you. Look at it this way, the odds of having two of your suit flop is about 7.5:1, so you need about 7 people to be in this hand pre-flop, but you also have the straight possibility so you can lower that number a little but you really want as many people in as possible with suited connectors to justify the odds of missing your hand over and over to when you hit your cards and win boatloads of money. (I like to make calls like this with as little as 5 players if I think that if I hit my cards then I can get a lot of bets in the pot with a lot of callers) But lets say you flop an open-ended straight draw with two of your suit. Now you have a great draw and you want as much money in the pot as possible because you are a 1.2:1 favorite to make a straight or better by the river (which will probably be the winning hand, someone might have a higher straight or flush and in that case you just have to pay them off). On the other hand if you have AQ you want as few people in the pot as possible because you looking to win with a pair. You will most of the time with a high pair and a high kicker as long as you don't let people outdraw you for free or cheap. If you are going to get outdrawn make them pay a lot. You will make a lot of money when people miss their draws over and over and over again and you have been charging them on every card. If you are holding a pocket pair under JJ you want to just limp in because most of the time your pair won't be strong enough to win in a showdown if you don't get any help. However if you limp in before the flop with 6 other players and you hold 88 and don't get help on the flop, then you can pretty much be sure your beat if there is an over card or two to your pair and there is action ahead of you. If there isn't any action you're probably up against a couple draws and people holding overcards waiting to steal that pot away. But if you make a set on the flop you can play it real fast, betting and raising any chance you get because there is already 6 bets in the pot and people will play with you with as much as a small pair, any kind of draw, or even just holding two overcards. Anytime you flop a set you should win or lose a lot of money, if you don't then you aren't playing it right. (An exception to this might be if it flops 3 of the same suit or 3 to a straight) If you are holding a big pair it is best to raise pre-flop and try to limit the players to be up against because you don't really need help you are hoping your hand can win in a showdown as is. The less people to be drawing against the better. In fact you want to win the hand as early as possible. It's better to win a small pot than lose a big one. Playable hands and position: Early position which are seats 1,2,3 after the big blind is where you need to play your tightest. Only premium hands bottom line. The reasoning for this is if you go in with T9s hoping to get a lot of people behind you to call and justify the odds for playing this hand and the guy after you raises, if no one really likes their hand and doesn't want to call a raise cold (calling a raise cold means they didn't already have a bet in, and to play they would have to call the original bet plus a raise). All of a sudden the flop comes and your in worst position up against players that have already shown strength, basically that is something you want to avoid at all costs. 1. Raise with: AA, KK, AKs. Raise with AK, QQ-JJ if you think it will make people fold hands like AX. If you don't think it will then just call. You don't want someone with A3 offsuit to get you for an extra bet when he really shouldn't even be in the hand. Reraise: AA, KK 2. Call with: QQ-TT, AKs-JTs, AQs-QTs, AJs-KTs, AK, KQ, AQ, AJ 3. Fold with: All other cards. The only exception is if your
table is loose and passive, meaning lots of callers but not much raising. Then you
can play smaller pairs and suited connectors hoping to get a lot of callers in the
pot. Pretty rare exception I probably shouldn't have mentioned it. (I personally
will call about 80% of the time with any pocket pair and try and get lucky, but it
isn't really that good of an idea. If you decide to do this you have to be willing
to fold regardless of the cards if you don't make a set.) Middle position which we will call seats 4,5,6 after the blinds you can open your game up a little but you can't go too crazy. You now have a slight idea of how strong the cards of some of your opponents are holding, and can get an idea of how many people might be in this hand. 1. Raise with: AA, KK, AKs, AK, 2. Call: QQ-88, KQs-JTs, KQ, AQs-QTs, AJ, AT With four or more callers in front of you 1. Raise: AA, KK AKs, AQs 2. Call: QQ-66, KQs-87s, AK-JT, KJs-J9s, AXs Raise in front of you 1. Raise: AA, KK, AKs 2. Call: QQ-TT, KQ(s), AQ(s), AJs If five or more callers 99-22, QJs-T9s Late position and the button are the best places do be. You are last to act and therefore can play more speculative hands. With four or fewer callers 1. Raise: AA, KK 2. Call: QQ-99, AKs-98s, AQs-J9s, AK-JT, AQ-QT With Five or more callers 1. Raise: AA, KK, AKs 2. Call: QQ-22, KQs-87s, AQs-T8s, AJs-Q9s, AK-T9, AQ-J9, AXs With a raise in front of you 1. Reraise: AA, KK, AKs 2. Call: QQ-99, KQs-JTs, AQs-J9s, AJs-Q9s, AK-JT, AQ-KJ (if most or all players are in call with any pair and AXs) On the blinds. When in big blind you obviously take anything for free. But if it is raised before you, you need to decide whether it is worth it or not to call. Let's say there is a raise and at least two callers when it comes to you, you can play basically any pair, suited connector, or suited Ace. Because there is already at least 7 bets in there and your odds of making your hand or a good draw is usually about 7:1. When in the small blind it is kinda the same situation but you might as well just fold to most raises unless there are a lot of players already in. Something that I really like doing is when almost everyone is in, and I am in the small blind, if I have a good multi-way hand I will raise. The reason I do this is because first of all people will automatically put you on good cards, it puts you in a good position to check raise on the flop or turn if you do hit your hand, everyone will usually call your raise because they already have a bet in the pot, and if you hit your hand you will get a lot of action because there is so much money in the pot that people will draw to almost dead hands. If you don't hit your hand, well then your out a bet. Other tips: 1. If the bets get capped before the flop expect to be up against AA, KK, AKs 2. You'll save a lot of money by folding when you know your beat. (an example that comes to my head is when you have medium pair with a strong kicker or top pair with a weak kicker and there are 2 or more players still in betting, raising, or even just calling bets.) 3. Keep an eye open for someone who plays every hand and people who
rarely come into a pot. If they play everything don't be scared to play them, if the
are very tight they probably have a better hand than you, or will be looking for
high cards to flop. (People who play every hand will usually bet it all the way down to
the river when you have a good hand so just let them. You don't want to raise to early and
scare them off. Raising would be a good idea though if there were other players in the pot
with you because you would be concerned with what they held more then the maniac player.) After the flop tips: -You hit top pair with a good kicker if you have no immediate flush or straight possibility you need to raise. By raising you are making the odds unfavorable to people drawing with two over cards or inside straight draws and what not. If they call without the correct odds to their hand which happens often. Then they are giving you their money. We want to capitalize on their mistakes. Essentially you are giving them an option to make a financial mistake. -If you are in a pot with AXs and you only get an A with no flush cards. It's best to fold if there is significant action in front of you. Calling this hand all the way down to the river is stupid. If you are last to act you can try throwing down a raise on the flop the reasons you might want to do this are; 1) There is a chance you can win right then. 2) Players like to check to the raiser, and if you don't get any help you can check (basically you got a card for half price since the bet on the turn is double the bet on the flop and if you just called then the original better would bet again. If he does bet out again then you are beat.) If someone reraises you on the flop, or comes out betting into you should just let it go. If you are in the same situation but you have a back-door flush draw to the nuts then it is worth it to see the turn. If you don't get your flush draw on the turn you will probably have to drop out. -You flop second or bottom pair. It is smart to check and fold. The exceptions to this are the following: 1)The pot must be large 2)Must have an overcard kicker 3)It would be nice to also have straight or flush possibilities. Without those requirements met you are losing your money. If you don't get help on turn you probably will have to fold to any bets. -You hold a pocket pair and it doesn't get any help. If it's an overpair meaning the pair in your hand is higher than every card on the board then you and in a position to bet, raise, and reraise. Reraising is especially good if you think there are flush draws out there. If your pocket pair isn't the top pair you can usually just drop it. I know you don't want to do this but it is always the correct move, the odds of getting your set on the turn is 23:1 so unless you are getting those odds, and you won't be, then you should fold to bets. The only exception to this rule I can think of is if you think the board didn't really help anyone and the guy on the button and you are directly after him you can try a raise to get everyone else out and hope the button was trying to pull a move on you. Again a pretty rare case but worth mentioning. If your pair makes you an open ended straight it is worth it to see a little more but not if it is the lowest card to the straight. -Slowplaying is for when you hit monsters, not to be done often. If you flop a fullhouse or quads. I don't even slowplay the nut straight on the flop because usually everyone wont believe you have the goods. -Flopping two pair should be played fast with betting and raising. But watch for the drawing cards to hit and if they do you should probably check and call, with the cards we'll be playing your two pair will probably be close enough together to give a possible straight draw. -If you flop a set, bet and raise frequently. Keep trying to get the maximum amount of bets in the pot. You need to play it fast so that drawing players are paying dearly to see the next cards. If there is a possible straight or flush out there then bet and if you get raised you need to slow down and check and call. -When you flop a straight or flush draw you want as many players as you can get to put in as many bets as possible. (Suppose you are first to act and you have a nut flush draw. betting is probably a good idea or trying to go for a check-raise is also a good idea if you are sure someone will bet behind you and you can get everyone to call 2 bets. You only want to check-raise if you are drawing to the nuts. Now suppose you are in last position with a flush draw. If it gets bet and there are callers, calling is a good decision but raising might be a little better and here is why. Everyone that has a bet in will call a raise and if you don't get your card on the turn there is a good chance everyone will check to the raiser (you) and you can check to get to see another card for free. Now if you hit you card on the turn or river just keep betting and raising. (Any time everyone checks on the turn someone will bet the river with any two cards.) -Never draw to a straight with 3 of the same suit on the board. -If you flop a complete hand (straight or flush) play it fast. Don't just call bets, raise. If you flop the nut flush you can wait until the turn to raise or check-raise but never check-raise the nut flush if the board pairs. -With just two over cards on the flop I will usually just fold to a bet or check if I can and get to the turn for free. I will only stay in for a bet if I have some kind of backdoor straight or flush possibility with my over cards. Staying in with just overcards might win you some money but you will usually just win a tiny pot or lose more than you wanted to. -When the flop misses you fold and be done with it. There is no reason to throw money away like the rest of your opponents. -If at anytime when you are betting and raising and trying to play a hand really fast, for example two-pair or if you make a set or something like a pair of Aces with King kicker. If someone is being stubborn and keeps raising back or betting into you. In other words, with these kinds of hands you want to be in control of all betting and raising. Making everyone call or fold to you, if someone is playing back you should consider slowing down because they could have an over-set or some other monster. No one will really play back someone who is trying to take complete control of the hand without holding something very strong. -If you are in 2nd to last or last position and everyone checks on the flop and the turn then you must bet. It doesn't matter the cards you have. There is a good chance you can steal right there. How to figure your odds. Let's say you flopped a heart flush draw. Two in your hand and two on the board. This is how you figure if it is worth your call or not. First figure how many cards help you. There are 13 total hearts in the deck; you have seen 4 of them, leaving 9 more. You have seen a total of 5 cards (your two plus three on the flop). Which leaves 47 unseen cards, of which 9 are the hearts you want to see. 38 cards do not make your flush and 9 do; the odds are 38:9 against making the flush. A little less than 4:1 to make your flush on the next card. If the bet you have to call is 1/4 or less the pot size then you are making a good play. Works best if you are drawing to the nut flush because you know your hand is a sure thing. Essentially you need to know what cards your looking for, how many of each are left, and how much money is in the pot. Often in low limits there will be enough for a lot of different draws because so many people stay in to see the flop and the turn. As long as you make the right calls here whether you win or lose you will come out ahead.
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