A Basic Overview of Texas Hold'Em. Texas Hold'Em is a competitive poker game played in several rounds where players bet to advance from one stage to the next. It is a game of skill, strategy and, like all card games, luck. The objective of Texas Hold'Em is very clear: have the best five-card poker hand at the end of the game. Using Texas Hold'em strategy articles. When it comes to Texas Hold'em strategy, it's not about how much you read, it's about how much you learn. Every time you read a Texas Hold'em strategy article, you should be actively trying to absorb the information as you go along.

• Texas Holdem Poker Strategy

Since the World Series of Poker is taking place now, I thought a column about poker tourney strategy was in order. Enjoy!

It seems that everybody plays in no-limit Texas holdem tournaments. Of course the exploding television coverage brings new players into the no limit texas holdem game daily, which leads to better ratings and even more poker tournaments on television. When will it end? Not anytime soon. With all these new players, I am often asked about how to play tournaments correctly.

Texas Holdem Tournaments

To determine correct Texas holdem tournament strategy you need to start with some self-analysis. You have to ask yourself these questions:

• What is my ultimate goal in the poker tournament?
• Will I be satisfied if I place in the money, make the final table or do I have to win to be happy?
• Am I willing to take the chances of exiting early to put me in a winning position by going all-in?

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If you have just gotten started playing tournaments, you should aim to place in the money. Obviously, all of us always want to win, but a Texas holdem strategy designed to win in any case means you have to take many calculated risks with little or no advantage. You need to gather up a large chip stack in order to place high in a tournament.

If your goal is to place as high as you can, hopefully in the money, then you ought to play extremely tight, especially earlyon in the tourney. Just do not enter any pots if you aren’t certain you have the winning hand. Most tournaments structure the blinds so you can go a long time early without playing a hand until the blinds get too big.

The largest difference between a normal ring game and a poker tournament is that once your chips are gone, you are out of the tourney. In a regular ring game you can buy more chips whenever you like. That is what makes tournament strategy different. Some people simply want to place in the money while others play to win. That begs the question: Why doesn’t everyone play to win? Well, it has to do with the variance associated with two different playing styles.

Often players who are playing to win will get their money in with even the slightest advantage, sometimes even though they have only a 52% or 53% chance to win any given hand. If they are lucky, they can accumulate a big stack of chips, which they need in order to win. If you get all of your money in the pot in such marginal situations you run the great risk of busting out of a tourney early.

If you just want to get into the money you need to play much tighter. You need to try to get better odds before you get your money in the pot, many times as high as 80% or 85%. This approach has the problem that the blinds generally eat a large part of your stack between these opportunities.

Texas Holdem Tournament Strategy

The proper strategy to being a successful tournament player likely lies somewhere in between these two styles. As usual, you should try to bet when you are a favorite to win (have the best poker hand), but in tight situations in a tournament it may be better to hold back unless you are getting short stacked. If your stack gets too short you will have to pick a good starting hand and bet all of your chips and hope that nobody else has a better hand.

Early on, before the blinds get too high, I recommend playing very tightly and only entering the pot with your very best poker hands. Should you have the opportunity to get all of your money in with at least one other person, and you have AA, KK or even QQ, - take it! If you can double-up early on in a poker tournament, that not only gives you extra chips, it also can be a tremendous psychological advantage. If you have a tall stack it works for you on a psychological level! As you continue into the tournament, the bigger your stack, the easier you may be able to force your opponents with fewer chips to fold their hands instead of taking a risk with all their chips.

Usually you find no-limit Hold'em poker tournaments to move along pretty fast. We should discuss a few important points here. If you make just one mistake, it can end your tournament. At any time all of your chips can end up in the pot. Therefore it is important to always play just as well as you can.

You have to learn as much about your opponents play as you possibly can. Take your time if you have to and always pay attention. Do your very best not to lose concentration, even for a second.

Good luck in your Texas Hold'em tournament adventures.

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Introduction

Rules

1. A single 52-card deck is used. All cards count as its poker value. Aces may be high or low.
2. One player is designated as the dealer, usually with a laminated marker. This person does not have to physically deal the game. However it is important that a symbolic dealer position rotate around the table.
3. The player to the dealer's left must make a 'small blind' bet. The player to the left of the small blind must make a 'big blind' bet. The amounts of both blinds should be specified in advance. The purpose of the blinds is to get the ball rolling with some money in the pot.
4. Two cards shall be dealt down to each player, starting with the person to the dealer's left.
5. The player to the left of the big blind must either call or raise the big blind bet. The play in turn will go around the table according to normal poker rules, which I assume the reader already knows. Table rules will specify any limits on the size or number of allowed raises.
6. The small blind may also raise the big blind. If nobody raises the big blind the player making the big blind has the option to raise his own bet. The term for this is the 'big blind option.'
7. Three community cards will be dealt face up in the center of the table. This is called the 'flop.'
8. Another round of betting will ensue, starting with the player to the dealer's left.
9. A fourth community card will be dealt face up in the center of the table. This card is called the 'turn.'
10. Another round of betting will ensue, starting with the player to the dealer's left. Generally the minimum bet is double the first two rounds of betting.
11. A fifth and final community card will be dealt face up in the center of the table. This card is called the 'river.'
12. Another round of betting will ensue, starting with the player to the dealer's left. The minimum bet is generally the same as the previous round.

13. Each player still in the game at the end will determine the highest poker value among his own two cards and the five community cards. It is NOT a requirement that the player use both of his own cards. The player with the hand of highest poker value shall win. Following are the hand rankings.

    1. Straight flush: Five consecutive and suited cards. For example 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.
    2. Four of a kind: Four cards of the same rank, plus any fifth card. For example Q, Q, Q, Q ,4.
    3. Full house: Three of a kind and a pair. For example 6, 6, 6, J , J.
    4. Flush: Any five cards of the same suit, except for a higher ranking straight flush. For example A, Q, 8, 4 , 3.
    5. Straight: Five consecutive cards, except for a higher ranking straight flush. For example 8, 9, 10, J, Q.
    6. Three of a kind: Three cards of the same rank, plus any other two cards. For example 5, 5, 5, Q ,2 .
    7. Two pair: Two pairs, plus any fifth card. For example 8, 8, 2, 2 ,Q .
    8. Pair: A pair and any other three cards. For example 7, 7, 2, 5 ,A .
    9. ? High: Any five cards that do not form any higher poker hand. A king high hand for example might be K, Q, 7, 5 ,4 .
14. If two or more players have poker values of the same rank then the individual cards will be used to break the tie. If necessary all five cards will be considered.
15. I get asked a lot whether the two unused cards in a player's hand are used to break a tie. The answer is a firm NO. The two unused cards do not matter.
16. If a new player arrives at the table he should either wait for the big blind position or put up an amount equal to the big blind, amounting to a call of the big blind.
17. If a bet is made after another player runs out of money, then a separate pot is created. The player that ran out of money is not eligible to win the second pot. If more than one player runs out of money then multiple separate pots can be created.
18. In formal games players may not bet with cash or buy chips with cash in the middle of a hand.
19. There are numerous rules of etiquette, which I won't get into.
20. There house may set the betting rules. There are three main types. A 'structured' game features raises of specified amounts. For example a '3/6 game' would mean that raises after the deal and flop are $3, and after the turn and river are $6. There is usually a limit to the number of raises a player may make, typically three. A 'pot limit' game has structured minimum raises but the maximum raise may be anything up to the amount in the pot at the time the raise is made. A 'no limit' game also has structured minimum raises but there is no maximum raise.

Examples

Example 1

Board: A, 2, 4, 5, 6
Player 1: J, 6
Player 2: 7, Q

Player 1 wins. Both have an ace high flush, so the second highest card is considered. Player 1's jack beats player 2's 7. The only way to have a flush tie is if the flush is entirely on the board and no hole cards are higher than the lowest card on the board in the same suit.

Texas Holdem Poker Strategy

Example 2

Board: J, A, 7, 5, 6
Player 1: 2, J
Player 2: 10, J

Player 2 wins. Both have a pair of jacks so the singletons are considered. High highet singleton in both hands is an ace so the second highest singleton is considered. Player 1's second highest singleton is a 7, compared to player 2's 10. A 10 beats a 7 so player 2 wins.

Example 3

Board: A, A, K, Q, J
Player 1: Q, J
Player 2: Q, 2

Tie. Both have a two pair of aces and queens, with a king singleton. Some people incorrectly believe that in such cases the unused cards are considered, in this case player 1's pair of jacks beating player 2's jack/2. Only the top five cards matter. The jacks and deuce are irrelevant.

One of the most important aspects of Texas Hold'em is the value of each two-card hand before the flop. The decision of how to play your first two cards is something you face every hand, and the value of your first two cards is highly correlated to your probability of winning.

The following table shows my power rating for each initial 2-card hand in a 10-player game. The numbers are on a 0 to 40 scale. Basically, you should only play hands that are dark green, blue, or purple. Of course you should be more be more liberal in late position and picky in early position. If forced I would say you should need 10 points in late position and 19 points in early position to call the big blind. If your table is loose, as if often the case online, you can play a bit looser yourself.

Use the top table if you have a pair, the middle table if your cards are suited, and the bottom table if your cards are unsuited. Except for a pair,look up your high card along the left and your low card along the top.

Following are the links to my tables of the value of each intial hand according to the number of players. The 10-player section explains the methodology for creating the table table.

Pot Odds

The following table shows the probability of making various hands after the flop and the correct 'pot odds.' The pot odds are the breakeven ratio of money in the pot to the amount you have to bet for the player to be indifferent about calling, assuming the player would definitely win if he makes the hand (a big if) and there are no additional bets (another big if). This table is a good starting point the player should make mental adjustments for the probability of winning without making the hand, losing with making the hand, and expected future bets. The odds of a two pair improving to a full house are the same as those for four to an inside straight.

Pot Odds — After Flop

The next table shows the pot odds after the turn.

Pot Odds — After Turn

Hand Strength Calculator

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Poker Tournament Calculator

My Poker Tournament Calculator will determine each player's probability, for up to nine players, of finishing in each place, and his expected share of any prize pool, assuming equal skill among all players. It produces the same results as what is known as the Independent Chip Model.

Internal Links

• Pinapple — Strategy and analysis of which card to discard before the flop.
• Bad Beat Jackpots: What is the Probability of Hitting one?
• Texas Hold 'Em Dominated Hand Probabilities: What is the probability one of your opponents has similar, and better, hole cards than yours?