Online Texas Holdem Poker - rules, tips and strategy

The Four Basic Rules for Texas Holdem Poker

1. Don't worry about folding. You dont need a good hand to win, you just need the best hand.
2. Don't be afraid to bet the maximum. If you have a good hand, be aggressive and maximise your winnings.
3. Don't chase the pot. Dont worry about whether there are cards that could win it for you; worry about whether the odds are good of getting the cards that can win the game for you.
4. Play long term. To make a profit at Texas Holdem, you have to play the odds; you lose a few hands for a few pounds each and then you win a hand and make it all back plus some cream on the top.

Texas Holdem Strategy

1. Starting Hands

Fold more in early position (among the first to bet) than in a middle or late position. The later you are in position, the more you can figure out about your opponents hands by watching how they bet, or dont bet. General guidelines (s = same suit, o = off suit):

In early position:
Raise AA, KK, QQ, AK
Call JJ, AQ, KQs
Fold Everything else

Middle Position:
Raise same as above plus JJ, AQ, KQs
Call TT, 99, 88, 77, AJ, ATs, KJs, QJs, KQo, KTs
Fold Everything else

Late Position:
Raise same as above plus TT, II, AJ, ATs
Call 88, 77, 66, 55, 44, AT, A9, Axs (where x is any small card), KJ, KT, K9, K8s, QJ, QT, Q9s, JT, J9s, T9, T8, 98, 97s, 87s
Fold Everything else

2. Aggression

There are two ways to win when you play Texas Holdem - Get the best hand, or get everyone to fold. The less people still in the game, the better chance you have of beating them. Be aware, however, that in low limit games players rarely fold. Its harder to get a £3 bet to fold, than a £300 bet.

3. The Odds

When you want to figure out whether its worth betting, think about this. The first thing you do is count your outs the number of cards in the deck that make your hand. For example, if you need a straight and you have 5, 6, 8, and 9, you need a 7 to win (assuming there is no one with a higher hand). There are four 7s in the deck so you have four outs. If you have 4, 5, 6 and 7, you can get a straight with a 3 or an 8, which means you have eight outs. If you have a flush draw (four cards to a flush) after the flop (when the first three cards are laid down) it will leave forty seven unseen cards. 52 (total cards) 3 (flop) 2 (in your hand) = 47. When the next card is laid (the turn), 38 cards are bad and 9 are good. That means the odds against making the flush are 38 to 9, approximately 4 to 1, meaning for every four times you dont get your hand, you will get it once.

The next step is figuring the pot odds. Dont count the money you've already put in the pot as part of your odds. That money is gone; it is no longer your's. If you are playing £3-£6 Texas Holdem and there are 9 small bets in the pot (meaning 9 people have bet and called) then you have 9 to 1 pot odds on your bet. In other words, if that's the last of the betting, you would make £27 on a win and lose £3 if you lose.

Next, look at the odds together when playing Texas Holdem. The pot odds are 9 to 1, and the odds of getting your hand are 4 to 1. Over time, youll miss four out of five times. In five hands you will loose £3 x 4 = £12 during your losses and youll win £27 the time you hit. That means your profit will be £15, or £15/3 = £3 per hand. So you should call. To put it simply, the pot odds are bigger than the odds of hitting.

Here's a shortcut to figuring out whether you'll make your hand. After the flop, multiply your number of outs by four to get a general percentage of winning your hand. This is your probability of improving, not the odds against it. To figure out your odds, just switch it. If you have a 35% chance of winning, then you have a 65% of losing. 65 to 35 = 1.86 to 1 odds If there is only one card left to come, multiply your outs by 2.2, or you can be more general and just go with 2, although the calculation wont be as accurate.