Texas Hold'em poker - Basic strategy

As mentioned, Holdem is deceptive. It appears easy to play, yet beneath a simple façade lies a game of extraordinary complexity. Many variables must be considered when making decisions, and figuring out the correct play is often difficult. So before we mention specific hands how they should be played, here are some tips that will help you determine the best course of action.

1. Know what the best possible hand is and how likely it is to be out.
With certain up-cards, the potential for many different strong hands increases. With other up-cards, however, the number of combinations is dramatically reduced. For instance, if the up cards are showing k of diamonds, 10 of spades, 7 of hearts, 3 of clubs and 2 of diamonds, you know no-one has a straight a flush or a full house. The best possible hand is three kings.

Whether someone is holding the best possible hand (often referred to as the nuts) can often be determined by the number of players in the hand and the previous action.

2. Recognise when you have the best possible hand.

Although a continuation of the last point, its importance warrants a separate listing. If you have the nuts and fail to recognise it, you will miss betting opportunities and therefore fail to maximise your winnings. On the other hand thinking you have the best hand when you don’t could cost you even more money. By paying close attention to the board however, you can avoid making these costly errors.

3. Position is significant

Texas Holdem is known as a fixed position game rather than a random position one. in other words, the order in which players act each round is predetermined, rather than determined by the strength of the exposed cards as in stud. The advantage of acting last in Poker has already been noted. This means that you should be more selective of the hands you play in early position rather than those you play in late position.

4. Don’t overrate suited hands.

Having two cards of the same suit definitely makes your hand better, but many beginning players tend to overrate the value of suited cards. In short, a hand like a ten and a six should almost always be thrown away, whether they are suited or not.

5. High cards are better than low cards

It is just as easy when you have high cards as it is when you have low cards. If you hold a king and a jack, and your opponent holds a seven and a six, and both of you flop a pair, you have the better hand. Consequently, you would prefer to have your hand made up of bigger cards.