I have the Bicycle Casino games and the other day, when I couldn’t get on WoW, I played Texas Hold’Em, but even though they very basically explain the rules, I’m not sure of the strategy. I KNOW you try to get the best hand you can out of the cards dealt in the middle of the table, but I’m not real sure I’m getting the whole “strategy” of the game.
I see these guys on tv playing, and I’m trying to follow what they’re doing, but I’m just not “getting it”. Is there a website called “Hold’Em for Dummies”?
The strategy of the game can get so complex, that at a certain point in time, the cards or the LEAST important factor in the game. Everything from psychology, body language, the amount of your chip stack, and when you bet relative to the others still in the current hand can out weigh the cards themselves. **The game, when played right is a game of Skill, not one of Luck. **
Once you get that idea down, you then get to explore if you want to be a loose player, a rock, an agressive player, or a loose agressive. Throw in some bluffs on occasion, some sandbagging, an learning how to use tells.
I would suggest buying some books, I have Texas Hold Em for Dummies and Super System among others. The Dummies book should get you going good, and Super System (By Doyle Brunson) is regarded as The Bible to the game. These two books at a minimum, but a good starting point.
Super System 2 works as well, seems to cover a lot of aspects. I don’t own Super System 2.
I think Super System 1 is still a good value. The advice holds up pretty well.
As an example, if you hold pocket Aces, (Two aces dealt to you), you would want to bet before the flop (Before cards are dealt to the community).
Pocket Aces are the best hand to have prior to the flop. Bet with it first, before more cards come out. If you scare off someone holding pocket 2s, he might fold before the flop, and not see that he could have three twos.
Same for Pocket Kings, “Big Slick” - an Ace and a King, and other premium hands.
one thing i would suggest would be to play - a lot. matter of fact we have a game for the dopers on Thursday Nights at 9. you not only will meet some interesting folks but also get some experience solely at the price of your dignity (we play funsies)
and meeko is full of shit generally. so don’t listen to him. ask yeti, missy or dag. or in a pinch you could ask me if i am not off on a bender. but meeko, nope don’t think so.
I’m not sure if there’s a simple answer to this. There are whole books on how to play it well.
Well, it’s the two cards you’re dealt, plus the cards dealt on the table. With that in mind…
Not every hand goes all the way to the showdown. It is sometimes not about having the best hand, but convincing the other players that you have the best hand. If I bet and everyone else folds, I win the pot regardless of what cards I have.
Get a feeling for your opponent’s style of play. No one gets good cards all the time. Someone playing very few hands probably only plays when he has very good cards. Someone playing lots of hands probably is willing to play with much worse starting cards. If you know someone’s style of play, and how heavily they bet at the beginning of a hand, that can tell you something about what cards they probably have. Once the table cards are dealt, you’ll know whether they have likely helped the other player’s hand or not.
If you have a chance at a good hand, consider the amount of money you have to risk to stay in the hand. Players call this “pot odds”. If I have some combination of 9-10-J-Q, there are eight cards that can complete my straight. If another player makes a small bet, it might be worth my while to call and force another card to be dealt, on the chance that I’ll complete my straight. (I still might not have the winning hand, of course. If 10-J-Q is on the table and a K is dealt, the 9 in my hand makes a straight, but an A in anyone else’s hand makes a higher straight.)
As for what constitutes “good cards”, well, consider 2-7 against A-K. If I play 2-7, I might very well make a pair, but it will be a low pair. If anyone else has made a pair (or was dealt a pair in their pocket cards), I probably don’t have the best hand. On the other hand, I could play A-K. That has the same chance of pairing as 2-7, but if it does, it’ll be the highest pair at the table.
Do you mean your first time playing, or your first time at a particular table, or what?
Slight hijack, but is there a decent free Hold 'Em game for the PC, without playing online? I want to play against a simulated table, but just local on my PC. I have a game like that on my Blackberry, but it seems the PC ones are all online games. It doesn’t have to be free, but it’d be nice…
seriously, quasi if i were you i’d show up tomorrow night and play. we are a fairly controlled crowd (except for the cursing, dirty videos, personal impingement and general lack of what normal folks would consider decent or normal). so yeh, it’s great yucks.
and i know that some animals are kind of soloish. but why not play live against friends in a non threatening cost free manner. i mean, i guess i don’t get it. i spend enough time with these folks talking about whether jesus wore underwear or whether obama is the second coming of satan that bluffing a 8 3o is kind of like second nature.
Mostly because I only have time to play in snatches of 10 minutes here, 15 minutes there. I want to come and go as I please. It’s not a pressure thing. I supported myself through college playing poker (not Hold 'Em though, it wasn’t that popular back then…)
The five table cards are dealt in three stages, with betting in between each stage. The first three are “the flop”, the next one is “the turn”, and the last one is “the river”. So you’re asking about before the flop.
It’s not necessary to always call. In fact, I think most players fold more often than they call. If the software you’re playing is always calling, it may just be trying to have lots of betting and lots of action among the computer players to make the game more interesting for the one human player, you. It’s not necessarily a sound strategy.
A really skilled player will consider a lot of variables when deciding to call or raise before the flop:
What’s my position at the table? (If I’m the first to act, there’s still a lot of uncertainty left to come. If several players have already folded, then I only have to worry about the few who remain.)
Are the remaining players tight or loose? (Do they play a lot of hands, or are they likely to fold and wait for good cards?)
How am I preceived at the table? (If I’ve been playing few hands, the other players should be more likely to respect my bet than if I’ve been playing every hand.)
If it’s tournament style, how desperate am I? (If I’m almost out of chips, there’s no point in pussyfooting around. The forced bets will talke all my chips soon. It makes no difference if I lose now or three hands from now. I don’t have time to wait for good cards. I don’t have time to wait for a good hand and hope someone else bets first. If I have anything even remotely decent, I’m betting everything I’ve got left.)
