In Texas hold ‘em, like all variants of poker, individuals compete for an amount of money contributed by the players themselves (called the pot). Because the cards are dealt randomly and outside the control of the players, each player attempts to control the amount of money in the pot based on the hand the player holds.

The game is divided into a series of hands or deals; at the conclusion of each hand, the pot is typically awarded to one player. A hand may end at the showdown, in which case the remaining players compare their hands and the highest hand is awarded the pot; that highest hand is usually held by only one player, but can be held by more in the case of a tie. The other possibility for the conclusion of a hand is when all but one player have folded and have thereby abandoned any claim to the pot, in which case the pot is awarded to the player who has not folded.

Basic Rules for Texas Holdem

OK, let’s start at the beginning. Texas Hold’em is a fast-paced 7-card game that’s the most popular, and most exciting, form of poker played today. If you’ve ever watched poker on the TV, chances are that you’ve seen Texas Hold’em. The all important aim of the game is to make the best 5 card hand that you can, using both the two cards that you’re dealt face down and the five community cards dealt face up in the middle of the table. But more of that a little later.

The dealer shuffles a standard 52-card deck.

(In casinos, the rules are that the dealer never plays. A round disc — known as a “dealer button” — moves clockwise from player to player with each hand. The button marks which player would be the dealer if the deal were advanced from player to player as the game went along.)

Most Texas Hold ‘Em Poker games start with the two players to the left of the dealer (the button) putting a predetermined amount of money into the pot before any cards are dealt, ensuring that there’s something to play for on every hand. This is called “posting the blinds.” Most often, the “first blind” — the player to the left of the dealer — puts up half the minimum bet, and the “second blind” puts up the full minimum bet.

Each player is dealt two cards, face down. These are known as the “hole cards.”

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Game Types and Rules

The dealer button

Every hand, one player will get the dealer button (a small disk marked with a D). The position of the dealer is important, as the two players to the dealer’s left post the blinds. The dealer button moves to the left after each hand, so everyone acts as the virtual dealer and everyone is required to post blinds.

Blinds

The player to the immediate left of the dealer posts the small blind, and the player to their left posts the big blind. The blinds are placed in the pot to kickstart the betting and give players an incentive to enter the hand. They also mean that the winner of hand can never walk away completely empty-handed. The size of the blinds are dictated by the stakes of the table that you’re playing at. The small blind is typically half the minimum bet of the game, while the big blind is typically the same as the game’s minimum bet. It’s probably best illustrated by an example: if you’re playing at a $2/$4 table, the small blind will be $1 and the big blind $2.

The opening deal

Once the blinds have been posted, it’s time for some cards. Moving clockwise round the table from the dealer, each player receives two cards dealt face down that only they get to see. These are also called pocket cards or hole cards. It’s now time to start some betting. That is why we’re here after all.

Betting following the opening deal

At this stage, each player is betting on what hand they feel their pocket cards could lead to. The betting starts with the player to the immediate left of the big blind. For this round of betting, each player has three choices: to fold, raise, or call the big blind. As the players who posted the blinds have effectively opened the betting, each player has to at least call this bet to stay in the hand, so checking isn’t an option at this stage. The betting goes round the table in a clockwise direction until each player has either called, folded or raised. If no-one has raised by the time the betting returns to the person who posted the big blind, this player may check his own blind, fold or raise. The first round of betting is at the lower level of table stakes, so in a $2/$4 game all raises are increments of $2. Once the betting is completed it’s time to see the flop. Just a quick note on betting before you move on. The betting can’t go on for ever, as we use the standard bet and three raises model. That is, for any round of betting there can be an opening bet and no more than three raises. After the third raise betting is said to be capped.

The flop

Next is the “flop” – where the game really starts to get interesting. The flop is the set of three cards that are dealt face up in the middle of the table, and each player can use these community cards to build their hand. The middle of the table where these cards are dealt is commonly known as the board. Now it’s time for another round of betting, again at the lower levels of the table stakes. This time, the betting starts with the player to the immediate left of the dealer, regardless of whether the dealer is still active in the hand or not. The player to the left of the dealer will keep the initial action for the rest of the hand. Apart from that, the betting process is the same as pre-flop betting.

The turn card

Once the round of betting has finished, it’s time for another card to be dealt face up on the board. This fourth card is called the turn card, and again can be used by all players to construct their hand. The betting after the turn is now at the higher level of the table stakes, so in a $2/$4 game all bets will now be increments of $4.

The river

Four down, one to go. It’s now time for the fifth and final community card to be dealt: the river. Now that all the cards have been dealt, each player remaining in the hand can now see what their best five card hand is. It’s now time for the final round of betting, again at the higher level of the table stakes.

The showdown

Ta da! It’s now time to see who’s the daddy and takes the pot: the showdown. Each player who’s remained in the hand shows their cards, starting with the last person to bet and so on. The winner is decided using these universal hand rankings. If a player wins a pot by default, that is every other player has folded, there is no showdown and the winning player can decide whether to show their cards or not. Most people don’t, it’s always nice to keep people guessing.

Buying the Pot: If during a betting round you make a bet and all players fold to you, you’ve bought the pot. You have the option to show or muck your cards.

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For more information: Texas Hold ‘em

Whom To Attack In Tournaments

The most common types of poker tournaments are the “proportional payoff” variety. That’s where, as players are eliminated, tables are consolidated until the survivors meet at a final table and first place wins all the chips. But first place doesn’t get to keep all the money, so there’s — in effect — a penalty for winning. This means survival is worth more than using many sophisticated tactics that would earn extra profit in non-tournament games. So, you should avoid high-risk, seemingly profitable finesses and play more conservatively in order to survive and win more of the prize pool. Fine.

But, correct strategy for these tournaments also requires that you attack mostly players with fewer chips than you have. This provides two advantages:

(1) You can’t be eliminated by those players, so you’ll survive even if you lose the pot;
(2) If you win the pot, you’ll eliminate the short-stacked opponent and automatically move up in the money.

Why Convey Optimism?

One of the big mistakes players make is to slump in their seats and seem defeated when they’re losing. This just encourages opponents who are ready to take advantage of your misery. They’ll play better against you, because you’ve made yourself a target — someone they have increased hopes of beating.

Of course, the fact that you’re losing, in itself, inspires your opponents. But don’t make it worse. Continue to act confidently, laugh, make your moves animated and assured. This will make your opponents less likely to leverage all their advantages against you. If you can keep them from betting or raising just one time when they have an advantage, you’ve earned something. And you’re more likely to do that if you convey optimism, rather than surrender emotionally.

Winning If They Never Call

To grasp the difference between too-tight and too-loose players, think about this. If players always call, you’ll probably win; but if players never call, you’ll certainly win.

Winning Pots

our main objective in limit poker is not to win pots. In fact, the biggest lifetime losers are the players who win the most pots! Why? Because they’re always there at the showdown. If a pot can be won, they usually win it, whether it was a good gamble or not. Sure, there are some professional tricks that can help you win pots average players wouldn’t. But in general, the players who win the most pots lose the most money! Be selective about the hands you play.

Yes, You Can Play Poker If You’re Impaired!

There’s a common bit of advice in poker that is almost universally accepted, but it’s wrong. The advice is that you should never play poker if you’re tired, distracted, or have been drinking. The intent of this advice is good, but the application is terrible.

The truth is that in poker you profit when you have an advantage over your opponents. I can play poker without sleeping for days as long as I’m against opponents who are also impaired or who are much weaker than I am — even in my current condition. I can accept a drink at the poker table when I’m competing against players who are also drinking. Of course, you’ll do even better if they drink a lot and you don’t drink at all — but that might work to your disadvantage if they think you’re trying to take advantage.

You must measure your advantage at poker by your ability right now versus your opponents’ ability right now. Sometimes you can earn a lot more money by playing against poor opponents when you’re in a weakened condition than you can by playing against stronger opponents when you’re in top condition.

Remember, your long-term profit is always a result of the difference between your play and your opponents’ play. Playing great in a world-class game might not make you a winner. Playing fairly good in a weak game usually will.

You Don’t Need An Edge To Have An Edge

Some say you shouldn’t ever gamble unless you have the best of it. But most of the really successful gamblers I’ve ever met sometimes are willing to wager when they’re not sure they have an edge.
Why? It’s simple. Suppose someone challenges you to tennis. You know the challenger is no athlete, but neither are you. Fine. You might turn out to have the worst of this bet. But here’s the big secret. It’s often worth finding out! If the challenger is not a sophisticated gambler and seems to have a lot of funds to lose, you should risk taking the worst of it. Ideally, if you find out you’re the poorer tennis player, you’ll back off or just make small sociable bets for an hour to be polite. If you find out you’re the favorite, you’ll keep playing and try to increase the stakes.
This tactic is used by most all-around successful gamblers worldwide, whether they have reasoned it out or just do it instinctively. The point is that you don’t always need to have the best of it. If it turns out that you don’t, you might lose a little. If it turns out that you do, you’ll probably win a lot.

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When Not To Bet

You should be very reluctant to bet a marginally strong hand into a consistent bluffer. You’ll often make more money checking and calling. (Note, though, that if the bluffer will not bet most losing hands he would have called with, you should bet.)

When To Hesitate

In poker, the time to hesitate is when you really need more time to resolve a close decision. Often things will occur to you given a little extra time. Or, under the extra pressure, your opponent may provide you with a tell. You might occasionally also hesitate for deception, so that alert opponents can’t determine that your pause always means you have a close decision.

Also, sometimes when you make a final bet with a big hand, you’ll be more likely to be called if you don’t bet instantly. Well, if you don’t bet ALMOST instantly, I mean. Because both a bet delayed for a few extra seconds and an unreasonably quick one are apt to make your opponents suspicious and more likely to be called.

But, unless there’s a specific reason to hesitate, you should usually make all your bets, calls, and raises crisply and confidently — because this enhances your image and speeds up the game.

When You’re Losing

It’s often important to play aggressive poker and establish a dominant image. However, you should sometimes abandon your aggressive play when you’re losing. That’s because other players unconsciously feel they can beat you. They then become inspired and play better. This little understood concept means that your normal value bets and raises will suddenly be unprofitable! One of the great secrets to poker strategy is that you can play much more aggressively when your opponents are intimidated by you than when they’re not.

Where Your Profit Comes From At Poker

When you play poker, what determines your fate? Is it how good you are? Is it how bad your opponents are?

No! Actually, it’s the DIFFERENCE between your skill and that of your opponents. Really good players can lose for their lifetimes by playing against tough competition. And much less accomplished players can win for their lifetimes by playing against weak competition.

Always remember that and try to choose games where you have skills greater than your opponents. That’s a major secret to winning.

Which Game Should You Play - Hold’em Or Seven-Card Stud?

If you have a choice between playing hold ‘em against novices and seven-card stud against novices, choose hold ‘em. Although seven-card stud is more complex, the mistakes beginners make in hold ‘em are costlier (and, so, more profitable to you). For an experienced pro, seven-card stud is often the more profitable choice against average-and-better opponents, though. You can expect more bankroll fluctuations playing seven-card stud, and it usually takes longer for the skill factor to overwhelm the luck factor

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Two Big Kickers Are Often Enough When You Have A Small Pair In Seven-Card Stud

After the fourth card, should you chase down a probable pair of jacks with a smaller pair in seven-card stud? It depends on many factors — the number of players, the exact cards exposed, the betting sequence, the habits of opponents, tells, and more. Remember, the decision you make on fourth street is very important, because — under most casino structures — the fixed limits double on the next betting round.

I will almost always continue to pursue the pot for a single bet when I have two cards higher than the probable opposing pair and I don’t see a higher card than my kickers in that opponent’s hand. So, if my cards are 4-A-4-Q and I suspect a pair of jacks and see no higher cards in that hand, I’ll still play. (In fact, I’ll sometimes bet out and sometimes raise if bet into.) That’s because if I make another pair, I’m likely to have two pair larger than those my opponent would most likely make (jacks up).

If I have 4-3-4-10, though, I’d almost always fold. If I have only one higher card, such as 4-K-4-10, I usually fold, but sometimes call. Of course, this explanation is very simplistic, but it’s a profitable guideline when there are no obvious other factors guiding your decision.

Watch For Folded Arms

One tell that I find quite profitable is folded arms. When an opponent slumps or leans back in his chair and folds his arms between hands, he’s in defensive and patient mode. Don’t expect this player to suddenly get inspired and play a weak hand for the excitement. When this player leans forward and decides to play, it’s almost always a legitimate hand. The folded-arms type of player is content to lean back and wait. Don’t expect to see weak-starting-hands.

Watch Them At The River In 7-Stud

In reading poker tells, one of the most important things to do is watch your opponents look at the final river card. If it helps them, they’re very likely to only look for a short time. Then they’ll quickly place the card facedown and try to look uninterested, perhaps staring away from the approaching betting action. This is a ploy to make you think the card wasn’t a good one, and whenever you see this mannerism, you should be wary, and you should not bet or call with marginal hands.

Conversely, if the opponent keeps staring at the card longer than necessary, that’s an indication that it didn’t help. He’s trying to make you think that he’s interested in it. He isn’t, and you can bet medium-strong hands for profit.

What Happens If You’re Nervous When Making A Bet With A Big Hand?

Actually, you shouldn’t worry about appearing nervous when you’re making a bet with a big hand that you think will win. Beginners and intermediate players often exhibit this type of “happy” nervousness naturally, and trying to disguise it can cost you money. That’s because opponents think nervousness is suspicious and are more likely to call.

What’s The Best Game For You?

For most of us with poker skills, it’s much better to play poker than craps or roulette. That’s because at poker, you can control the odds by making quality decisions. Good players eventually beat bad players.

But when you play craps or roulette, it’s you against the house and the odds are in their favor. But, wait! Don’t be too critical of someone else for choosing craps over poker. You see, an unskilled player might have a better chance at craps, where the odds against winning a bet remain fixed, but not overwhelming. A poor poker player has a much worse chance of winning tonight at poker than at craps.

This leads to three conclusions:

1. Be careful who you play poker against, and try not to be overmatched.

2. Don’t gamble too big while you’re learning to play poker.

3. Don’t ridicule others for choosing a no-win casino game, because they might do even worse at poker.

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The Terrible Truth About Deuces In Hold ‘em

Even if you play all the way to a showdown in hold ‘em, if you start with a pair of deuces, the odds against you catching at least one more deuce among the five board cards are 4.2 to 1. You’ll only succeed 19 percent of the time. When you consider that you’re unlikely to win without seeing a third deuce, that you might lose — often at some expense — even when you do see one, and that it will probably cost you considerably more money to get to that last river card, you can understand why a pair of deuces is usually unprofitable to play in hold ‘em

The Value Of Trickery

The more you can manipulate opponents, the more potential profit you can earn. Fine. But the big secret is that you cannot manipulate using fine strokes and precise control if opponents don’t understand what’s expected.

For this reason, beginners and those with limited poker skills are not good targets for fancy poker plays. Sure, they can be manipulated, but only in broad ways, such as teasing them into calling. You probably won’t be able to use trickery to get them to make daring laydowns. For this reason, you should save your fancy plays for sophisticated opponents — and only use them sparingly.

Tournament Chances

If all players are equal, the odds against you winning first place in a poker tournament corresponds to the amount of money you must still gather vs. the amount you already control. For instance, if ten opponents each have $500 in chips and you have $1000 in chips, it’s 5-1 against you winning the tournament. That’s because there’s $5000 you still must win weighed against the $1000 you already have. (Note that in real life tournaments, this estimate will be imperfect for several reasons. The most important is that players who can go all-in have a better chance of winning pots.)

Tournament Strangeness

Most poker tournaments use a proportional payout. This means that the prize pool is distributed in predetermined percentages. First place may get 40 percent, second place 25 percent, third place 15 percent, and so on.

You need to know that there’s a powerful concept governing how you should play. The winner must gather all the chips and then give most of them back in prize money to other close finishers already conquered. Because of this, the quest for survival changes your strategy. Mathematically, it becomes more profitable to make safe decisions in order to survive than to maximize your chance of winning first place by taking advantage of every small edge.

So, you should be more conservative about the hands you play, especially late in a tournament. And you should be more reluctant to make daring raises for value. You need to play tight in these tournaments, if profit is your motive.

Conversely, if profit is not your motive and you just want to go after first place and the trophy, you can ignore this advice. You’ll be more likely to win that trophy, but less likely to earn extra profit.

Truth About Aces In Hold’em

Despite common advice, you do not want to raise with aces in order to chase players out of the pot before the flop in hold ‘em. That pair of aces usually makes as much money or more with extra opponents chasing you. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t raise. But it means when you do raise, you’re usually doing so hoping opponents will call, not fold.

Thinning the field has its moments, but — contrary to what you’ve heard — raising with aces before the flop for that purpose isn’t one of them.

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Take A Break Before You’re Broke

I teach that poker can sometimes be a mysterious blend of frustration and aggravation. Most players don’t play their best game when things are going poorly at the table. A lot of the mental energy they need to make correct decisions quickly is used up worrying about their temporary bad luck. When this happens to you, I advise that you get up from the table (whether online or in the real world) and take a walk. Keep walking until your confidence returns.

Take A Walk

Anytime you feel “glued to your seat,” get up and take a walk.

Players often find themselves so absorbed in the excitement of the poker game, that they stop thinking objectively. I teach students that the best way to cure this is to simply get up from the table when they feel it’s difficult to do so.

The Difference Between Aces And Kings In Hold’em

In hold ‘em, you hear a lot of talk about aces and kings being the ultimate hands. That’s true, but don’t be too quick to put them in the same category, as many players do. A pair of aces before the flop logically belongs in a category all to itself. Here’s how often each hand wins against nine opponents holding random hands when everyone stays to the river…

A-A = 31% (21 percentage points higher than a fair share)

K-K = 26% (16 percentage points higher than a fair share)

What really makes the difference is that, when you consider actual betting strategy, A-A is much more likely to gain extra bets and to stay out of trouble. For this reason, in the hands of a professional, A-A can be almost twice as profitable as K-K overall in a full-handed game. That’s something to keep in mind.

The Importance Of Choosing The Right Game

talk a lot about game selection. If you’re playing in a home game, you probably don’t have much choice, except whom to invite and whether to play. But if you’re playing poker in a public casino or online, you’ll have plenty of choices. You’ll have different types of poker to choose from and different limits, and sometimes you’ll be able to select from two or more tables of the same type and limit. For all but the top world-class players, the profit comes from playing against the right opponents. By “right,” I mean weak. Remember who plays poorly and seek them out in the future. If you’re not sure, watch games before taking a seat. Sure, you can occasionally hone your skills by playing against tough competition, but direct profit comes mostly from weak opponents.

Sometimes we get lazy and don’t want to get out of our seats and change tables. We don’t want to take half an hour to drive to another casino where games may be more profitable. But, remember, you must have a significant advantage over your poker opponents to make money in casinos. You have to pay the rent or the rake, plus other expenses. It isn’t good enough to just be slightly better than your opponents. You need a serious edge.

The most successful players are careful about which tables they sit at — and sometimes they decide not to play at all right now. In fact, looking at games in terms of how profitable each table is and taking a seat on that basis alone can be the biggest key to profit. Fairly good players who pay attention to table selection can make huge incomes for their poker careers, while even better players, who pay less attention to table selection, can struggle and sometimes make no money at all.

The Simplest Truth About Beating Poker

The main secret to winning at poker is simply to play your best game all the time. I know, that’s too silly to mention. But, apparently, most players don’t do it. Do you realize that you can give away a whole month’s worth of disciplined poker profit in one night. So, it isn’t good enough to play your best game most of the time. All of the time is what you should strive for.

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Smoking At The Poker Table

I don’t smoke, and I know that many players are irritated by opponents smoking at the poker table. I don’t want to get into the debate about smoking. I do want to advise you, though, that if you’re in a game where smoking is allowed, there is a powerful tell that often surfaces.

If a player who’s smoking bets and then exhales a cloud of smoke, that player is relaxed and probably holds a big hand. If, on the other hand, the player swallows the smoke, lets it out in barely noticeable wisps or doesn’t exhale at all, there’s a very good chance you’re facing a bluff.

Sometimes You Should Stop Listening To Opponents And Watch What They Do

It’s important to listen for audible tells. So, you shouldn’t ignore what you hear — except sometimes. Many opponents have vocal mannerisms that are so misleading that it’s almost impossible not to make incorrect conclusions about their style of play. In particular, some players have persistent, even irritating, habits of banter that suggest a very loose and carefree style of play. But beware! Whether these speech patterns are deliberately intended to mislead you or simply integral to the opponent’s true personality, often this vocal image misrepresents the actual strategies used.

I recommend you temporarily close your ears to the banter and focus on how that opponent actually plays — the way you would if you were playing online where you can’t hear your opponents, instead of in a real-world game. You might get a different impression and be able to choose counter-tactics that are more profitable. Or you might find that the opponent is, indeed, just as carefree and loose as suggested by the vocal mannerisms. In either case, it’s worth knowing. The trick is to stop listening long enough to see what’s really happening.

Staying Out Of Games If You Know About Cheating

Some old-time players think they should merely stay out of poker games when they know scammers are seated. That isn’t enough!

You have an ethical obligation to warn management and other players if you know for sure cheating is happening in a game. If you don’t do this, you are saving yourself, but allowing others to be cheated out of their money. Honest management is always interested in information that will help them protect their games. The notion that you should mind your own business if someone is scamming a game that you’re not involved in is repugnant. It IS your business! It is the business of all ethical players to keep games honest for everyone.

Strange Fact About Ace-To-Five

You’re playing ace-to-five lowball. As is traditional, there’s a joker in the deck. You’re less likely to be dealt a pat six-four (6-4-3-2-A) than a pat bicycle (5-4-3-2-A). The odds are 1400-1 against a six-four; 1245-1 against a bicycle. The reason is that when you have 4-3-2-A and a joker, the joker always serves as a five, never a six.

It’s Sometimes Better To Be Betting Than Checking In Seven-Card-Stud

The game where it’s regularly better to bet than check on early betting rounds is seven-card stud. If you have no pair, you might want to represent one by betting. Usually, this is partially a bluff, because you want to get your opponent out and take the pot early, and partially speculative in the event you stumble into a straight or a flush.The player calling may have a small pair or no pair at all, hoping to make something. Neither one of you has much to brag about

Now if you make a pair on your board, another bet will often win the pot for you immediately. Even an opponent with a pair (especially if it’s smaller than yours) may give up without without a fight, fearing you had a big pair in the hole or just made three of a kind. When you’ve been the aggressor and improve, it’s hard for a previously reluctant caller to call again. This means you can often win pots without a struggle by betting “prematurely” that you might have lost in a showdown or folded to your opponent’s bet had you checked on earlier rounds.

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Seven Stud Flushes

A starting hand like K-Q-10 of mixed suits is usually better than one like J-6-3 of the same suit. That’s because the king-high straight can easily win with high pairs without making a straight, whereas the small suited hand will more often need to complete a flush to win.

Shifting Gears

One of the most widely discussed strategies by professional poker players is called “shifting gears.” As an example of shifting gears, you might change suddenly from very aggressive, loose play to very defensive, conservative play. The theory is that you put opponents off balance, because you always make the adjustment before they recognize and try to adjust to it. While I agree that shifting gears can be important, you need to do it for a specific purpose. Remember that if opponents aren’t observant or don’t react incorrectly — by calling too much when you shift to tight gear or by folding too much when you suddenly shift to loose gear — then you’re wasting your time shifting gears. In particular, it’s usually a mistake to shift gears in loose, small-limit games where opponents treat poker like bingo and make decisions more on the strength of their own cards than on how they perceive you. If your poker opponents don’t adjust unwisely to your gear shifts, don’t shift.

Sitting Next To The Dealer

One advantage of taking a seat next to the dealer in a real-world casino is that when you fold, it’s easy to slide your cards toward the center of the table without fanfare. When I’m trying to create a loose image that will get me extra calls, I want to draw attention to hands I play, but I want to fold as inconspicuously as possible. When I’m sitting next to the dealer, I gain the psychological advantage of being able to fold without drawing much attention to the act.

Sizing Up A Game By The Laughter And How They Lose

When I have a choice of games to enter, I frequently choose the one with the most laughter. Laughter often means people aren’t playing too seriously. What I hate is silence. That usually means a table full of serious players who won’t enjoy throwing me their money. I avoid such tables unless I’m honing my skills against tough competition just for the practice.

Also I look to see if players lose pots graciously. If players are angry when they lose, that’s a bad sign. I favor opponents who don’t greatly mind losing. These usually are the most profitable opponents, and they add to a congenial atmosphere that makes the whole game more comfortable and beatable.

Small Pair From Early Positions In Hold’em

My analysis has shown that pairs smaller than fives are not usually profitable from early positions in a limit hold ‘em game. This is true whether the game is loose or tight. Fives are about break-even when played correctly on the flop and beyond.

You might play these small-pair hands on rare occasions, just to make your strategy seem more bewildering to opponents. When you do, you should almost mostly call in hopes of seeing the flop cheaply, while raising only once in a long while for deception. If you follow this formula — seldom play tiny pairs from early positions and when you do almost always just call — you’ll make the most profit in the long run.

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Raising With Small Pairs From Late Position In Hold’em

Although you can often call profitably with a small pair against a long line of players in hold ‘em, when you’re in late position and no one has entered the pot, it’s different. Then, you should usually raise, not just call.

The reason is that against many players, you’re trying to take advantage of pot odds by calling and seeing the flop. You realize that you’ll almost certainly need to improve your hand to win against that many opponents. But when you’re in late position, you can raise hoping to end up one-on-one or to win the blinds outright. If you do end up against just one opponent, there’s a good chance your small pair might be enough win the pot, affording you an extra chance to win that you would seldom enjoy against many opponents. The raise is designed to chase players out and give yourself that extra chance to win.

Rake vs. Rent

When the house rakes money directly from your pot, you need a bigger advantage to call and raise. If you’re renting your seat by the hour, you should play more liberally.

Razz Proposition Bet

Try betting someone that if they shuffle a standard 52-card deck and deal out 7 cards, you’ll end up with a seven stud low (razz) hand ranking 9, 10 or jack for low. You must have precisely one of those three hands to win. If you have an eight, a seven, a six or a bicycle, you lose. If you have a queen or a king for low, you lose. If you have a pair or worse for low, you lose. You’ll get takers on this one, and you have the best of it! You’ll win just over half the time–50.6%.

Seating

You will make more money in the long run if you choose a seat to the left of loose players. By acting after them, you trap them in your pots when you raise. If you act first, your raise will often chase them out and you’ll win nothing from them.

Seldom Re-raise As The Big Blind In Hold’em

First, you need to know that I frequently re-raise as the big blind when an aggressive, blind-stealing-type opponent raises in the small blind after everyone else folds. I don’t need a very strong hand to justify that re-raise, because even if I’m beat by a mediocre hand, the re-raise gives me psychological leverage to add to my positional advantage. Remember, I’ll get to act last on all betting rounds.

But in all other circumstances, while you should vary your play, and you can certainly sometimes justify re-raising when you’re in the big blind position, usually you’ll make more money by waiting to see the flop. Among the many reasons for this, these important ones come to mind:

1. If the small blind isn’t involved in the pot, you will have the disadvantage of acting first on all future betting rounds.
2. With all but aces and, perhaps, kings, the strength of your hand is not usually defined until after you see the flop. You really don’t know if it is strong or weak. Unlike stud games where your strength often changes slowly, one card at a time, the three-card flop strongly defines your hand in hold ‘em. Although your cards may be strong enough for you to believe that you have a likelihood of having the best hand, that edge is usually not enough to justify a re-raise and risk facing yet another raise from a rare hand that might truly dominate you. This is especially true because of your poor position.
3. Why announce that you have a fairly strong hand if you don’t have to? The very tiny edge of pushing a hand you think might be slightly better than your opponents’ hands is often overwhelmed by the fact that you are giving away information unnecessarily. Of course, this show of strength can sometimes work in your favor (and you CAN use it deceptively with weak hands), but it is more likely to work against you by chasing away weak callers and the long-range profit they might supply on future betting rounds. If you just call, opponents will think you might have anything, from very weak hands to moderately strong ones or better. You keep your options open on future betting rounds, and you can fold more easily, having invested less, if the flop disappoints you.

For these reasons and others, I recommend usually not re-raising in the big blind with moderately strong hands, except when isolated with only the small blind.

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Omaha High-Low And Psychology

It’s important to understand that high-low split poker games, and Omaha high-low, in particular, do not demand the emphasis on psychology that other forms of poker do. When you’re playing Omaha high-low, don’t sacrifice sound mathematical strategy to try to influence opponents.

Advertising is usually costly. Why? Because high-low players tend to play their cards like bingo. They make their decisions primarily on the strength of their hands and are often almost oblivious to the strategies of opponents. In high-low, reduce you emphasis on psychology and play your cards.

Playing Too Tight In Seven-Card Stud

Over the years I’ve been amazed to see so many disciplined seven-card stud players lose consistently. With some, the problem is easy to identify. They play very tight, which can win against loose opponents, but they play tight at the wrong times.

Here’s what I mean. These players are very disciplined about the hands they enter pots with. They’re very conservative about risking their money. And that’s fine. But once they’re involved in a pot, they think themselves out of it. How? They consider each subsequent betting round as a bright new opportunity to fold and they use their extra-tight calling criteria all over again. When they do this, they give an aggressive opponent four more chances (betting rounds after the first one) to make them lay down a hand. And if they lay down a hand when the pot is already very large relative to the cost of the call, they’re frequently making a grave mistake.

Sure, you should lay down sometimes late in the action when the pots are large, but not routinely. It’s fine to be selective about pots you enter, but once you’re involved, make sure your opponents don’t bet you out of your money too easily.

Position And Manners

Everyone has a tactical advantage over the player to his right. It’s the advantage of usually getting to act after that opponent. Because of this basic truth, you should often declare war on players to your right and make friends with players to your left.

Positioning Yourself In A Blind Game

In general (for reasons I’ve discussed elsewhere), you should sit to the left of the loosest players and act after they do. Sometimes, it’s hard to decide what the best-available seat is, though, and there are other factors you should consider. For instance, in hold ‘em, Omaha, and other blind games, it’s worth money if opponents are too conservative in blind positions.

That’s why it’s often profitable to sit to the right of players who don’t adequately defend their blinds, giving you an opportunity to steal those blinds by acting first, and to the left of players who do not attack the blinds liberally enough — so that you can get an occasional free “walk” when you might have otherwise folded.

Raising Blind In Blind Games

In short-handed games or when everyone had folded and I’m in the dealer position or in the small blind, I quite often raise without looking at my cards. And I let my opponents know I’m raising blind. The reason is that this turns out to be very cheap advertising. It enhances my image as a “gambler” — as somebody other players are willing to play more loosely against, supply me more profit in the future.

What does it cost? Not much, because — if my image is dynamic and my opponents are non-threatening and timid — I’m going to raise in those situations the majority of the time, anyway. Occasionally, I’ll find myself with a hand I might have folded, but even then, the average expected loss isn’t that great.

If you’re a knowledgeable and aggressive player with an edge against your opponents, you aren’t usually giving up anything by attacking from the button or small blind when nobody else has entered. And on the times when the play is unprofitable, the sacrifice is usually only a small fraction of one bet, on average. Advertising in this way can often bring in much more in psychological benefits than it loses at face value.

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