Top Tips Texas Holdem
- Top Tips For Texas Holdem Poker
- Top Tips Texas Holdem Poker
- Top Tips Texas Holdem Rules
- Top 5 Texas Holdem Tips
In our last tip covering '5 Common Poker Tells to Look For' we ended with a reminder to new players not to concern themselves too much with looking for tells, as it's usually better to focus on betting patterns than what opponents are saying or doing.
By betting patterns we mean both when players tend to bet and how much they bet. Watching both closely — and keeping in mind patterns being exhibited — can help you a great deal when trying to narrow down the possible hands a player might have. In live poker, especially, players often give away a lot about the strength of their hands simply by the size of their bets.
A Texas Holdem cash game is played on a single table with 2 to 10 players. The goal in a cash game is to win as many chips as you can. A multi-table tournament will have a number of players divided into multiple tables with 9-10 players on each table. Texas Holdem Poker Winning Tips & Tricks For some people, their love of playing cards extends to the occasional game of poker including the increasingly popular game of Texas Holdem. As with all card games, there is no guaranteed way of winning but there are tips and tricks you can learn to improve both your enjoyment of the game and your. Texas Hold'em is one of the most popular games played today, and there are several strategies that can improve your game and make you a winning player. To win at Texas Hold’em, the best route is to use several strategies to give you the upper hand. Top tips & secrets. I dedicated this blog to Texas Hold’em. Here you will learn all the chips and secrets of a professional game. One of my top Texas Holdem tips is to always be aware of what type of poker player you are up against. For example, you will frequently encounter Nits, TAGs, LAGs, SLAGs, fish and so on. Here is a complete list by the way of all the poker player types and how to beat each one.
How to Describe Bet Sizes
Below we'll get into some of the important distinctions and factors that affect bet sizing, but first let's briefly cover how to talk about bet sizing — or at least how the topic is normally discussed.
When discussing preflop bets, we typically speak of betting amounts relative to the size of the big blind. For example, in a $1/$2 cash game (where the BB is $2), a player opens with a raise to $8. From a strategic standpoint, what matters here is the size of the raise being four times the big blind, or '4x' the BB.
The next reraise might also be spoken of in terms of the number of big blinds it represents, or (more commonly) it will be described as it relates to the original raise. For instance, after that $8 raise, a player reraises to $23. You could say the reraise is 11.5x the BB, or more likely you'll say the reraise is nearly 3x the initial raise.
When talking about postflop betting, amounts are often spoken of instead in terms of how they compare to the size of the pot (and not in BBs).
Let's say after that $23 reraise it folds back around and the original raiser calls, making the pot $49 total. On the flop, the first player checks and his opponent bets $25. The bet size is described as 'half-pot.' If he'd bet $35, that be referred to as a bet of 'three-quarter pot'; if he bet $50, that be about a 'pot-sized' bet; and so on.
The reason why postflop bets are referred to according to their relation to the pot is it helps with calculating pot odds. You can even begin to memorize common postflop situations to make figuring pot odds easier — e.g., a half-pot bet always yields 3-to-1 pot odds to call. (See 'Pot Odds Basics' for more.)
Preflop Bet Sizing
In no-limit hold'em cash games, you'll often find players making larger preflop opening raises than happens in NLHE tournaments. A preflop raise that is 3x the big blind in a cash game is often on the small side, while in tournaments such a raise is relatively speaking going to be bigger than most.
In low-limit live cash games, in fact, you'll frequently see opening raises of 5x or more as players try to cut down on callers. This happens in online poker as well, particularly at the lowest stakes (including the 'micros').
Whether in a cash game or a tournament (or live or online), pay attention to what a 'normal' or average preflop open seems to be at your table, then make note whenever anyone deviates significantly from that 'standard.' If a 5x open seems to be the norm in a live cash game, make note when a player opens for 8x or 10x, or decides to make a relatively small open for 2x or 3x. Then look at what hands these players end up showing (if they do), as that will provide useful information when evaluating their preflop opens going forward.
There are a few factors you want to consider when evaluating an opponent's bet size when open-raising before the flop:
- the player's position
- the player's stack size
- the player's style and betting patterns
Opening raises from early position are often going to be larger than middle or late position raises. Someone under the gun usually wants to discourage people calling behind them, as they'll have to play out of position against them postflop. (See 'The Importance of Position.') Meanwhile players in later positions aren't as concerned about postflop position — e.g., the button knows when open-raising before the flop that he'll be playing from position after the flop.
When a player bets before the flop, it's also worth noting how much that player has behind. Say in a $1/$2 cash game a player opens for $12 from middle position and it folds to you on the button. Before you decide what to do, you take a look and see the player only has $40 left after making the raise. It's likely a player with such a short stack may be eager to get the rest of it in the middle soon after the flop, which means a call of $12 may soon lead to committing $40 more yourself. If your hand is strong enough, you might want to reraise and force a decision on the opponent before the flop. Or if you are thinking of set mining with a small pocket pair, you should realize your opponent's stack isn't deep enough to warrant this play. (See 'The Fundamentals of Set Mining.')
Finally, a player's style and betting patterns provide important context when evaluating the size of a preflop raise. Is the player loose and aggressive, having made lots of opens before? Is the player a nit who almost never open-raises? When raising before, did the player usually make it 4x the BB, and now has chosen 6x? Answering these questions can help you decide more accurately what the player's raise in this particular instance might indicate about hand strength.
Postflop Bet Sizing
When we move to postflop betting, distinctions between live and online poker and between cash games and tournaments tend to be less dramatic. Some live games will play much more loosely than some online games (and vice-versa); also, some cash games will be very tight and some tournaments full of loose, aggressive players. The point again is to get a sense of the apparent 'standard' when it comes to postflop bet sizing and make special note when players deviate from it markedly.
That said, we can make a few generalizations about postflop bet sizing that tend to apply across different NLHE game types and settings.
On the flop, continuation bets are commonly made by preflop raisers. Big 'c-bets' — say, 3/4 pot and above — often signal both strength and potential vulnerability. A player holding pocket jacks on a flop doesn't want opponents to see a turn card cheaply, and so makes a big flop bet to try to win the pot right there. Small flop 'c-bets' — say, less than 1/2 the pot — are more ambiguous. A player making such a bet on that same flop could have king-high or a set of nines.
On the turn, bet sizing becomes even more meaningful, and in many cases more telling. When evaluating bet sizing on the turn, you'll again want to consider the player's relative position (acting first or last?), stack size (is the player pot committed, or nearly so?), and style and betting patterns (is the player aggressive or passive postflop?), as well as the board texture. A player betting $30 into a $120 pot on a board might be semi-bluffing or making a defensive 'blocking bet.' A player betting $90 into a $120 pot on such a board might have completed a draw and be going for value while also protecting a hand that could be outdrawn on the river.
On the river, big bets (three-quarter pot or more) often indicate either extreme strength or a bluff — they are 'polarizing,' forcing an opponent to answer the question 'Does he have it or not?' The board reads and a player fires $150 into a $180 pot. Should you fold your two pair, or can you call with what is essentially a 'bluff catcher'? Small bets (e.g., a third of the pot) might also be bluffs, but lean toward being value bets. A player betting $55 into $180 on that same board might have a flush and figures that size to be optimal to get a two-pair hand or straight to call.
How Should You Size Your Bets?
So how should you be sizing your bets, both preflop and postflop? A complete answer to such a question would require a separate series of articles, but as a general rule try if you can to balance your bet sizing and avoid being too obvious with patterns of betting.
By 'balancing' we mean (for example) don't always make the same big bets with strong hands and the same small ones with weak hands. Don't always make the same size bet when bluffing, or the same size bet when betting for value. Attentive opponents pick up on those patterns quickly, and suddenly you'll find no one is calling you when you have strong hands and everyone keeps calling when you don't.
Also, size your bets with an awareness of the pot odds you're giving your opponent(s) to call. A small bet or raise yields inviting pot odds, while a big bet gives poor pot odds. It may be that you want callers with draws and medium-strength hands to stick around, say, when you hold the unbeatable nuts. Or you might want to drive out players by giving them a bad price to call you down when you're hand is currently best but vulnerable.
Whatever you do, size your bets with purpose, and try to choose the best betting amounts to help achieve the goal you are aiming for by making the bet. Want a call? Want a fold? Want to try to induce a raise? Do the math, and make your best bet.
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Fixed-Limit Texas Holdem has been waning in popularity since poker exploded around the turn of the millennium. That being said, it was once the standard in casinos the world over, and to this day it is a very popular form of poker in both cash games and tournaments alike.
For players used to the wild and crazy game of chicken that is no-limit holdem, fixed-limit holdem is a game of patience and calculated risk. The winner is the player who is the most consistent over time, the most calculating, the least susceptible to tilt, and the most attentive to his opponent’s tendencies.
These tips are meant to be an introduction to the game of limit holdem for players familiar with no-limit holdem.
Top 5 Tips for Fixed-Limit Holdem.
1. Play Premium Starting Hands
There are several important differences between no-limit and fixed limit holdem. Because there is a limit on how much you can raise pre-flop, it is more difficult to push players out of the pot. For this reason you will often play multi-way pots post flop in a fixed limit game as opposed to no-limit holdem which is usually heads up post flop.
Additionally, the bet sizes are fixed on the flop, turn, and river. This prevents you from easily forcing your opponents to make a real decision early in the hand. For this reason, play often continues all the way to a showdown.
Playing very strong starting hands will allow you to exploit these characteristics of fixed-limit holdem. You will be favored over the opposition throughout the hand if you are more selective with your starting hands.
Strong pairs, AK, AQ, and very strong suited connectors and suited broadway cards are good hands to start with. Open your range up slightly in late position and on the button.
2. Play Your Draws For Maximum Value
Since you cannot be forced out of the pot, and because pots are frequently played 3 and 4-handed, the value of a good draw goes up in limit holdem. You are usually being given favorable odds to draw to your open ended straight draw or flush draw.
Top Tips For Texas Holdem Poker
In fact, if you have an open ended straight draw and a flush draw, your hand is so powerful that you can play it as if it were a made hand. Especially in multi-way pots, push your hand for value and raise your opponents as if you had already made your draw.
3. Learn the Power of the Check-Raise
Learn to check-raise both for value and as a bluff.
The timing of this play can be tricky, do you want to check-raise the flop, or wait for the turn or river. Another piece of the puzzle is learning who at the table will respect your show of strength and who is likely to play the Sherriff.
Check-raising is also a good way to try drive out players who may want to draw to the turn for a single bet. If you suspect the position player is likely to bet, you can check your made hand expecting the other players to check to the position player, who may bet and allow you to make it two bets to go. This extra money in the pot will make it difficult for the remaining players to play their draws profitably.
4. A Bet Saved is a Bet Won
Learning how not to chase weak flush draws and low straights, learning to fold medium strength hands when there is heavy action in front of you, and generally learning to save bets is a great way to improve your win rate in limit holdem.
It can be very tempting to chase a weak draw planning to bluff if you miss your card. This might be a justifiable line of play in very specific circumstances or against a specific opponent. Generally speaking however, aggressive lines of play like the one described aren’t advisable in fixed limit holdem.
On the other side of the coin, if you are value betting an overpair, and the worst possible card comes off on the river and you get raised, more often than not you should fold.
Learn to save bets and you will make more money.
5. Practice
Limit holdem is a grindy game that takes time to learn properly.
You can always watch videos and read articles to learn about the game. Getting advice from other more experienced players on a poker forum website is another great way to improve your game. But ultimately, time in the hot seat is the only way to really improve your limit holdem game.