Texas Holdem Strategy
How to Play Texas Holdem Hands
The most important texas
holdem strategy is knowing which hands to play. Here are some common hands
and tips on how to play them effectively.
Big pairs are made up of top pairs or over pairs.
For example, a big pair would be if you had AQ and the flop was AK9. Or you
might have KK and the flop is 487. With big pairs, you need to try and get rid
of as much competition as you, and the best way to do this is by raising. If
you have the best hand, others are probably trying to hit the draw, and you
need to make them pay to stay in the game, or cause them to fold. Big pairs
pay off the most when there are less opponents, so your best strategy is to
raise them out of the game!
A draw hand needs one more card to be become
a winning hand. For example, a flush draw needs one more card of that suit to
be a flush, and a straight draw is missing one consecutive card to become a
straight. If you have a draw hand, it can be very tempting to play. Keep in
mind the odds that you will catch the draw. Chances are usually pretty low that
you will get the card you need. Draw hands are only worth playing if there are
several opponents and the pot is worth the risk.
A milking hand is better than top pair; it means you have
the best possible hand, two pair or better, sometimes called the "nuts."
Once you have the nuts, it will be very difficult for your cards to be beaten,
but you don't want to advertise that fact. Your goal with a milking hand is
to milk as many chips into the pot as you can without giving your hand away.
One way to do this is to wait until the latter betting rounds to raise, as the
bet size will have doubled. The milking hand is ideal, but rare--so when you
get one, play it well!
Going All-In
When a player declares they are All-In, they are either choosing
to bet their entire chip stack, or they do not have enough chips to call a bet
and are betting whatever they have left. The player who goes all-in without
enough chips to call is eligible for the portion of the pot to the point of
this final wager. All further action involving other players takes place in
a "side pot", which is unavailable to the player who has already gone
All-In. When a player goes All-in, the pot currently at the center of the table,
which has contributions from him/her as well, is treated as the main pot, over
which the All-in player has rights. After the player goes all-in, all the new
bets are placed in a side pot, over which only the contributing players have
rights. The All-in texas
holdem poker player does not have any rights over the side pot. The side
pot is then given to the next winning combination.
Making the all-in bet yourself is exciting; it conveys confidence
in your hand, and it will make or break your place in the game. When someone
else goes all-in, the pressure is on you whether or not to call. You should
weigh the cost with the possible outcome. If calling the all-in bet isn't going
to devastate your stack, then you should probably call. Consider how much you've
already put in the pot, along with how much calling this bet will cost you.
Also, read the other player--are they nervous or do they have the winning hand?
Play Texas
Holdem
