User:That Guy, From That Show!/Texas Holdem (limit and pot limit) for beginners

Introduction

Texas Hold 'em, while seeming easy to learn, is in reality a subtle game and it takes quite a while to master. To win or at least stay even over the long run, beginners should play a very tight game (play very few hands they are dealt, 10-15% at most) at first. If all of the guidelines below are followed and a person keeps studying, at some point everything will 'click' and the person will understand the game enough to work on becoming an advanced player. At that time, players can easily adjust their playing styles and tactics outside of the general guidelines shown in this guide and will assuredly do quite well.

It is very strongly suggested that players restrict themselves to low-limit games ($3/$6 and lower) until they become more familiar with the subtleties of this game and have learned positional play as well as being able to determine what possible hands other players have. No limit Hold 'em is very exciting yet can will easily cause a player to become broke after making only one mistake.

One good way to get many practice hands is for the reader to play at one of the online poker sites that have free chips for players to use in games. But, keep in mind that online free chip play is very different from cash play because many of the players aren't playing seriously. But, being able to play 1 or more fast games at a time will help you become more familiar with Texas Hole em.

It is assumed that the reader understands basic poker and hand rankings.

Traits of good players

These traits cannot be avoided. They are all essential to a winning strategy.

Good players watch other opponents to help get insight as to what they are doing and what cards they have.

Good players are extremely patient and wait for profitable situations to occur. If the hand is bad, they fold, they do not rely on hunches or luck.

Good players are aggressive. When they have a good situation, they raise the profit by increasing the amount of $ in the pot by betting.

Good players are not afraid to try to win even though it appears there may be an opposing better hand. If the odds are right, getting rid of opponents who may possibly have a better hand isn't something to avoid.

Good players constantly try to improve their skills.

The above guidelines must be followed even for advanced players.

Rules of the game

Two cards are dealt to each player. These are considered 'hole cards'. They are the only cards in the game that are unseen by other players.

The cards are dealt clockwise from the position of the current dealer. The dealer position moves clockwise to the next player after each hand dealt.

There isn't an ante in most Hold 'Em games, the person to the immediate left of the dealer adds an automatic bet equal to the minimum bet for that game. For instance, if the game rules are $3/6 limit, the immediate left player would put in $6. He is referred to as the Big Blind.

The player to the left of the Big Blind is the Small Blind. His automatic bet is almost always 1/2 of the Big Blind (ie: if the game is $3/6 limit, his automatic bet will be $3).

Position

Player position is determined in regard to where the player is in relation to the Big and Small blinds (BB and sB respectively). For the purposes here, it is assumed that the table is full with 10 people playing. The Button is the to the right of the BB and the person playing from there bets after everyone else.

A standard hold 'em game with the blinds

Pre-flop

Fold all hands that do not apply to your position if you must put money in. This is extremely important. By playing a smaller field of cards as a beginner, you will save yourself quite a bit of grief.

Early Position

A player who is in the first player to the left of the BB is considered to be 'under the gun' (UTG). He has a very extreme disadvantage due to the fact that he has to make decisions before he can see what all of the other players are going to do regarding checking or raising. This also applies to the player to the immediate left of the UTG player. Together, they are considered to be in Early position and should be played similarly.

A beginning player is advised to only bet AA, KK, QQ, and AK (suited or unsuited) from the early position. All other hands are very vulnerable and will lose more often than they win. Betting other hands will result in lost money over the long run due to the fact that others are in a better position and can raise a much wider variety of starting hands. When a player becomes more advanced with time and practice, other hands can be played depending on the types of other players in any particular game.

Check all hands besides the ones listed above and fold if someone after you bets.

Middle Position

The middle position is considered to be the 3 seats to the left of early position. Here, you can play a few more hands due to the fact that you can see what players behind you (to the right) are doing.

In addition to the first position cards AA-QQ and AK, you can bet (call if a raise is made before you):

Any Ace with a face card of the same suit as well as ATs. KQs, QJs, JJ, TT, AQ-Js are strong cards as well.

Late Position

The last 3 seats before the BB and sB are considered late position. From here you can see quite a bit of information about what other players have and can play a large variety of cards.

Hands to raise if no one else has raised (call if someone has raised):

AA-77, AK-A8, KQ-KTs, KQ-KJ.

The dealer button (late-late position)

Here you can play AA-22, AA-2s, AK-A5, KQ-K9

Betting

To win in holdem, you want to win big pots, not a bunch of small ones. Chasing a lot of small pots is more expensive in the long run than the return. (Exceptions exist such as 'stealing the blinds') If you are winning a lot of small pots, you are playing too many of them and will eventually lose all of your money.