poker for beginners

Poker for Beginners

11. Expose your cards
Everyone turns their cards over to see who has the winning hand. Winner takes all
12. Understand the basic rules of Texas Holdem
Each player is dealt 2 cards face down, and 5 community cards will be shown face up. Players try to make the best hand possible out of their 7 cards.

Each player takes a turn being the dealer. In Texas Holdem, blinds take the place of an ante. The player to the left of the dealer is the small blind, and the next person is the big blind. The big blind is the minimum bet, and the small blind is half of that.
13. Begin play
Play begins with the first player to the left of the big blind. That player either calls the big blind (plays the minimum bet), raises, or folds. Play continues around the circle, with each player having to match the previous bet, raise, or fold. If no one raises, the big blind can check or raise before the next round.
14. See the flop
After the first round of betting has been settled, the dealer reveals the first 3 cards of the hand, called the flop. The dealer places the top card on the deck facedown. This is referred to as a Burn card. The next three cards from the deck are displayed faceup. Each player now has 2 cards in their personal hand and 3 community cards. Another round of betting begins, starting with the player to the left of the dealer.
15. See the turn
After the second round of betting, the dealer burns the next card and then reveals the 4th card of the hand, called the turn. The remaining players bet again, starting with the player to the left of the dealer.
16. See the river
After the third round of betting, the dealer burns the next card and then reveals the 5th and final card of the hand. Players bet on their hands, and the winner takes the pot. If a player bets, and the rest fold, then the winning player does not need to show his or her hand.
17. Essential Strategies or Know your starting hands
When youre starting your initial round of betting, its important to know whether or not the hand you have is worth playing. In Texas Holdem, you have two cards to start, and youll need to decide if you should play them or fold.

Hands to raise: Pairs of tens, face cards or Aces are almost always a good hand to raise with. An Ace and a King or an Ace and a Queen are strong hands as well. If you have these hands, bet before the flop to raise the value of the pot.
Hands to call: An Ace with a face card, or two consecutive face cards of a different suit are strong hands to call with. Two consecutive nonface cards of the same suit can work in your favor. Low pairs should call, but not raise.
18. Know when to hold and when to fold
The key to being successful at poker is knowing when to fold your hand and accept a smaller loss, or when to hold onto it and risk a larger loss knowing that you have a good chance to win the pot. If the flop comes and youre holding a hand that doesnt play, check and fold. You dont want to keep betting money at a hand that wont win. If the flop comes and you have a strong hand, bet at it. This will force weaker hands out and raise the value of your pot.

  • If your hand could play if the right cards come up, then youll want to determine if its worth holding out for them. Calculating pot odds can go a long way towards helping you make these decisions.

  • Pot odds are calculated by determining the percentage chance that you have to draw the card you need. To calculate them, count the number of outs you have. These are cards that will improve your hand. Multiply the number of cards times two, then add 1 to get the percentage. For example, if there are 10 cards in the deck that could improve your hand, you have about a 21% (10 x 2 + 1) chance of getting a card you need.

  • Next, youll need to determine if it is worth betting. Calculate the pot+bet, which is the pot total plus the bet to call. So if the pot is $120, and the bet to call is $20, then the pot+bet is $140. Multiply your percentage of your outs with the pot+bet. In the previous example, a 21% chance with a pot+bet of $140 would look like 0.21 x 140 = 29.4. This means you should call bets lower than %29 of the pot, or around $40.

  • Working out the pot odds is only a guideline, and doesnt take a lot of variables into account. Use it as a basis to judge the worthiness of a hand.
  • 19. Understand the psychology
    Playing your opponent is arguably more important than playing your cards in poker. You have to be able to read what your opponent is doing, as well as trick them into not knowing your plan.

  • Dont let emotions cloud your judgment. You will lose hands, its guaranteed. Dont let setbacks affect your attitude and playstyle.

  • Change up your pace. If youve been playing your cards close, and not betting wildly, start bluffing a bit more. If youve been bluffing, go back to playing tighter. Switching often will keep opponents from being able to predict your actions and guess your cards.

  • Read your opponent. Adjust your playstyle to your opponents. Look for players that are betting carelessly, and try to trap them. Learn to see the tells, which can give you an estimation of their hand. Some basic tells: a hand over the mouth is usually concealing a smile; shaking hands is nervous, but that could be a good nervous or bad nervous; if a player glances at his or her chips when the flop comes, they probably have a strong hand; if a mediocre player is staring at you, he or she is likely bluffing.
  • 20. Think on your feet
    Dont get bogged down with systems, react to situations as they arise. Every poker situation is different because of the human factor.