Texas Hold'em Strategy Guide

Texas Hold 'Em is the most popular variation of poker because it is simple to learn but difficult to master. This is what makes the game so appealing to both amateur players as well as seasoned professionals. Lucky is still an integral part of a player's success, but certain strategies can improve your chances of winning.

Risk Calculation

For particular players, especially beginners, they find it difficult to fold their hand. You should be aware that this is a common mistake and that playing selectively will help you win in the long run. If you continue to invest into a pot where your chances of winning are low, you will have less money to invest into a pot where you have high chances of winning. There is nothing wrong with folding before the flop if the odds are against your cards performing well. Generally after the flop has occurred will you have an even better idea of whether to carry on or not.

Examine The Hand You Are Holding

The types of hands in Texas Hold 'Em can be divded into three categories and will determine the way you should play. These categories are big pairs, draws and milking hands.

Big Pairs

You are more likely to be successful when playing for big pairs if you have fewer opponents to draw against and you are defending your position. Thus it is recommended to play aggressively early on in order to eliminate competition.

Draws

Draws are types of hand where they are open in that they need more cards to improve on or complete. These generally do better when there are more opponents as they hit less often but are more successful with more players in the game and more money in the pot.

Milking Hands

Milking hands are when you have the best possible ranked hand. In this scenario, you want to increase the size of the pot as much as possible so in order to do this, you must be calm as to not give your hand away. Also play the hand slowly so you can raise it in later rounds to make the pot larger.

Bluffing And Studying Your Opponents

Being able to not give your strategy away is vital so as to keep your opponents guessing at what cards you could possibly be holding. Make sure your actions do not give away your style of play but on the other hand, try to assess your opponents actions and expressions to get a better idea of what cards they could possibly hold.