Texas Hold’em strategy
Employing strong strategy when playing Texas Hold’em poker can be the difference between walking away a big winner and losing. While there are no foolproof strategies in Texas Hold’em, it can sometimes seem like it when you run into certain types of players on the felt. This article will teach you the basics of Texas Hold’em poker strategy, link you to further Texas Hold’em strategy articles, and give you some tips for improving your overall gameplay, when playing online or at live events.
Differences between online and offline Texas Hold’em strategy
In terms of how you play your cards there is not a great difference in Texas Hold’em online and offline strategy, with things such as the best basic strategy chart still the best way to play your cards. However, there are some key differences to how online and offline Texas Hold’em should be played:
- There are no physical tells in online poker, meaning you should be more analytical in your approach; watching your opponents’ betting habits early in the game and researching their history are just two things you can do to improve your online strategy
- Obviously you need the ability to pick up physical tells when playing live poker. If you only play your cards on merit and fold all of the time when challenged by a hand that is potentially out there you won’t go far in a tournament or cash game.
There is one key trait that is crucially important to any Texas Hold’em game — on the internet or live — and that is patience. Be aware that less scrutiny in an online game does not make a poor decision any less desirable.
Texas Holdem probability – learning to calculate the odds
Probability is a huge factor in any poker game. Good poker players use odds to determine their actions. You don’t have to be a mathematical genius, but it is important to know the probability of completing your flush or straight draw at the next street. In online poker games with very few tells statistical knowledge becomes the main factor when choosing whether to bet, call or fold.
In Poker your actions are decided by both the amount of money/chips involved and the chance to catch your draws. A few short definitions are necessary to understand the content of this site (and any other Poker site/Poker literature).
- Outs – The number of cards left in the deck that will improve your hand.
- Pot Odds – The odds you get when comparing the current size of the pot vs. your next call.
- Implied Odds – These odds are difficult to calculate. Implied odds are what you expect your opponents are ready to put into the pot if you draw to your hand.
As a new player looking to learn about poker odds you should be focusing on outs and pot odds. Odds and pot odds will tell you if calling the next street will be profitable in the long run. Odds and pot odds is all about simple division. The numerator will be the number of outs you have. The denominator is the number of cards left that we haven’t seen. The result will be the percentage chance of making one of those outs. So everything you have to do is to divide the number of outs by 50(pre-flop), 47(after flop) and 46(after turn).
Poker strategy: bankroll management
Bankroll management is a crucial part of your poker strategy if you want to be a successful player. In the long run the best poker player will win money, but in the short run even the best poker players in the world run into a loosing streak. Anyone who has played poker for more than two months knows that eventually you run into a period of bad beats. The cards seem to be cursed and you start wondering if you are the most unfortunate person in the whole wide world. You are certain that the software is rigged and starts snapping at your opponents.
After a while the curse seems to wear off and the software doesn’t seem so bad anymore. Again you can enjoy when a fish catches a gutshot on the river card and feel confident that in a few hours you will be spending his money.
Unfortunately these loosing streaks are part of the game, and the only way to overcome them is by having a large enough bankroll. I myself have experienced loosing streaks at around 250 Big Bets. This is in shorthanded games where the variance is bigger than full table, but I recommend 300 Big Bets at any level.
If you are playing $1/2 limit tables you should at all times have at least 2*300 = $600 in your bankroll. This may seem like a major overkill to some but until you hit that major loosing streak you have no idea how hard it’s going to strike.
For no limit games my general recommendation is somewhere between 20-30 buy-ins. This should be sufficient to ride off a couple of bad beats and a loosing streak. New and inexperienced poker players should stick closer to 30 than 20 buy-ins.
Experienced poker players may need less bankroll, but I really urge new players to keep a tight bankroll management. There is nothing that can break ambition to succeed in the Poker world like a busted bankroll.
Pre-flop strategy in Texas Hold’em
So the game has started and the cards have been dealt. This is a critical time in your Hold’em poker strategy as you will need to decide if the cards are worth playing.
Basically you should play with any two high cards, i.e. 10s up; Ace and 9; or any suited cards with an ace, and pairs are usually played from 7 up.
High consecutive same suit cards e.g. 9s, 10s (spades) and lower pairs can also be played depending on your table position and the following factors which are general points to consider before playing the hand.
- Number of players – in a 10-player game chances are someone will have a strong hand and you’ll need two high cards (jacks up) or a high pair to play.
- Your bankroll – if you are about to be called “all in” choose the hand you play carefully. If you have one last hand you want it to be a good one.
- Others playing aggressively – assuming some amateur players tends to raise constantly, let them win the blinds, wait for a good hand and press them to the wall.
- Your position – when seated in a later position play more than in an earlier position.
- Remember that the key to becoming a good player is to have patience. A player that tends plays a lot of hands will eventually lose.
Table position and poker
Your table position gives you information in a game of poker and is one of the key things you should consider pre-flop. By being last to act you can see how other players react and use this information to base your decisions.
Your position at the table is in relation to the dealer (also referred to as the button). The button is the most advantageous position at the table, as you get to see how all the other players at the table react before making your own decision.
The first player to act pre-flop is the player to the left of the Big Blind. This player is in a very bad position which is often referred to as “being under the gun”, “under the gun” or just UTG.
A player UTG and other early seated players should only play premium hands since they have no idea of what kind of action they can expect from the rest of the table. Calling a Six, Seven suited UTG might cost you four small bets if you encounter significant action from behind you.
Being in a late position is preferable, and will not only give your information, but also help you extract more money from the other players when you hit the board. After all other players have bet, a raise from late position could potentially double the money put into the pot on a betting round. If a player have already committed to one bet, it’s easier to commit to a second.
In general you should play only very strong hands from early position and loosen up your hand selection as you move closer to the button.
Small pocket pairs strategy: Low Limit poker strategy
How do I play small pocket pairs? is a question that crops up far too often, and for those who are experienced playing poker, we see poor execution around these types of situations all the time. So in short the answer to the question is that is far from simple because it depends on the situation.
Describing how small pocket pairs are played in every Texas Holdem game would be virtually impossible. The implied odds in no-limit texas holdem compared to limit are massive, and can make different plays profitable. Even so in high limit ring games you will see players re-raise with small pocket pairs to go heads up against the initial pre-flop raiser – moves like these are for advanced/expert players ONLY. Making such moves with small pocket pairs as a novice poker player will send you straight to the Pawn shop.
There are a few guidelines to play small pocket pairs in fixed low limit ring games. The main areas to focus on are pre-flop play, position and odds. In low limit ring games you focus on small pocket pairs.
Small pocket pairs pre-flop and odds
Later in this article I will tell you how to play small pocket pairs profitably in low limit ringgames. First of all I want to underline the importance of odds. Odds should always determine your actions at a poker table – if you play a sufficient number of hands the “luck” element will be almost eliminated, and the winning player will be the one who evaluate the odds correctly and makes the right decisions.
Small pocket pairs are great and can make you a lot of money long-term, if you know how to play them correctly. When you hold small pocket pairs (I define small pocket pairs as 22-77) – the odds that your small pocket pair will hold up to showdown unimproved are very slim, which means you have to flop a set in order to win the hand. You will flop a set with your pocket pair about 1/8 – which means you have to extract a minimum of 8 small bets from your opponents to make the call profitable (because seven out of eight times you will not hit the flop, and loose your hand).
If someone raises the pot after you enter the pot you most pay 2 small blinds to see a flop, which means you have to extract 16 small bets from your opponents to make the call profitable – if all hell breaks loose after you enter the pot you can face a cap, which means you have to pay 4 small blinds to see a flop (need to extract 32 small bets from your opponents to make the play profitable – almost impossible!). As this very simplified example illustrated, you want to get in and see a flop as cheaply as possible in order to flop a set and extract a lot of money from your opponents.
Small pocket pairs pre-flop and position
When I say you want to see a flop as cheaply as possible it means you prefer to come into the pot without someone in a later position raising the pot pre-flop. The only way to minimize the risk of someone raising the pot is to call the small pocket pairs only in middle to late position.
If you look down on a small pocket pair in early position you simply throw away the hand. The odds of someone raising the pot behind you are simply too high, which will make your play unprofitable long-term. You want to come into the pot with as few players to act after you as possible. Small pocket pairs are perfect for late position play, if you can get in cheap. If you flop a set you have a very strong hand, and a good chance of winning the hand.
Small pocket pairs and odds after flop
“No set no bet” is the golden rule – if you don’t flop a set get out!
What if you don’t hit? Is it worth trying to catch that other 5?
When you hold small pocket pairs after flop the odds of improving your hand are very slim. The deck holds only two cards that can give you a good hand and there are still 47 remaining cards in the deck, which means that you have 1/23 to draw to your hand. If you decide to go to the river with your small pocket pair your chance of improving is worse then 1/10. There has to be a lot of money in the pot to make this call profitable.
So unless it is a pair that could hold up without improvement, drawing to it isn’t a great idea.
Bluffing strategy in Texas Hold’em poker
Here are a couple of ways to successfully incorporate more bluffing strategy into your Texas Hold’em poker game. While shoving on the river in an attempt to get your opposition to fold is common, there are several more subtle ways to bluff and potentially pick up a pot.
Exploiting Late Position Thieves
Button raising (as well as aggression in the cut-off) has become such a popular play nowadays that habitually surrendering the blinds is simply passing up on opportunities to exploit what is often just a pre-flop steal attempt. Obviously you must observe the play closely (as always), but be prepared when in the blinds to 3-bet light against those players who are stealing in these late positions. Given that most players ordinarily raise in late position with a considerably wider range, your post-flop continuation bet should be enough to take the pot. Note that the very reason this works is your willingness to assume the role of aggressor when out of position, so it is important not to make a habit of this play. The trick is to do it enough so that, when used properly, picking up pots uncontested in this way has the potentially lucrative benefit of seeing your hands being paid off when you later 3-bet light in the same circumstances with big hands against increasingly non-believing and frustrated opponents.
Check-raising against Serial Continuation-bets
This is another out of position bluff aimed at punishing those players who invariably follow up a pre-flop raise with a continuation bet. Again the danger is that your strategy becomes as predictable as the play you are trying to exploit. But once again, by picking up pots (this time including your opponent’s post-flop c-bet) with this out of position check-raise bluff (when the flop looks like it missed your opponent), you are more likely to have your monster hands paid off. And with this in mind, whenever you subsequently check it is by no means an indication that you don’t have a strong hand, which in turn makes the opposition‘s decision making more awkward.
Texas Hold’em strategy tips
There are many little nuances in Texas Hold’em that can make or break a player, but don’t necessarily fall into a direct area of poker strategy. This section will give you some strategy tips that can immediately improve your gameplay.
Defining good hands and marginal hands
Texas Hold’em is the most popular game being played, both online and offline. There is a fine line between a good hand in Hold’em and a marginal hand. Three of a kind can be very profitable in Hold’em, while two pair often costs players a tremendous amount of money. Two pair just looks so good, but it is certainly not worth the money many players bet on it. I can’t tell you how many times I see a player go all-in immediately with two pair and get wiped out by another player. It is typically the worst-played hand in Hold’em. Good poker strategy is to define your hand as good, marginal and bad and then using other factors to determine whether you play the hand out.
Understanding the players at the table
So often you see a player blow up when they’re done over by a “newb” chasing a hand, who hits and beats a player who clearly had the odds in their favour. This is why it’s so important you pay attention to the styles of each player at the table. The loose players are easy to spot and take advantage of. You simply wait until you have a powerful hand and let them run themselves into a hole with their bluffs. This is a strategy based on patience and observation. The loose player will typically play different when they actually have a good hand. Observing the different styles of a poor loose player will help you to easily identify the strength of his or her hand. The challenge with these players is to be the one at the table to take their money first.
Making profit from tight Hold’em players
Tight Texas Hold’em players are often much harder to crack. They are in very few hands so their playing style takes longer to figure out. The first challenge is identifying them. It is easy to ignore opponents who participate in very few hands. This is a skill new players have to learn and it cannot be done while playing multiple tables or while watching TV. When these players are in a hand you can be sure they have excellent hole cards. Do not be afraid of them, but be aware that you will often need a strong hand to beat them and an understanding of mathematical expectation in Texas Hold’em.
Tight players often fall into a pattern, but it takes patience to discern it. A tight player making a decent raise before the flop often can take a pot with nothing by simply raising again after the flop. Use the face-up cards and a well timed re-raise to take a few pots from the tight players. A flop full of face cards is a bad time to try this, but if the cards are low, the tight players are bluffing much of the time with their post-flop raise.
Remember, these players tend to only play with the best hands and are typically not interested in throwing a large amount of money into a pot if they have nothing really good. If you get a chance, try tripling the raise of a tight player after the flop. I think you will find you take a few more nice pots than you would ever expect, even when you have nothing.
Spotting and breaking poker rhythm
Rhythm in Texas Hold’em is a largely ignored area of online poker and one that is very important. There are three types of poker rhythms that I am talking about here, there is action rhythm, speed rhythm and in no limit there is the bet amount rhythm.
- Action rhythm: is the propensity of betting, calling, checking, folding, raising etc.
- Speed rhythm: is the length of time to take a decision.
- Bet amount rhythm: You can throw a player off by changing up your betting.
You may find a table even with decent players settles into rhythms in one, two or all three of these areas more than the hands that are being dealt should dictate. The influence of this is felt even by good players and it is important to realise this discrepancy and take advantage of it.
For example, if people are routinely calling when otherwise they might fold, you either do not bluff or you need to do something to disrupt the rhythm, taking more or less time to launch a bet might do it.
If players are in a rhythm of constantly calling, it’s probably not a good time to bluff, and you’re better off waiting until the rhythm is more suited to a successful bluff. Obviously if you have the cards, bet away, and screw the rhythm.
Avoid playing when not at your best
You should avoid playing when not at your best, feeling just slightly tired or a few alcoholic drinks may be OK if you can stick close to a strong poker strategy. Under worse circumstances than this then maybe you should really just wait for another day. When you are playing when you’re tired or maybe not as stone cold sober as you should be I think the worst time of all to play is when you are emotionally upset, your decision-making can be all over the place and you can be more affected than you are even aware of.
In summing it up then I say absolutely never play when emotionally upset. Do not play if you have had enough alcohol to make you merry. Or when you’ve just finished that left-hander. In conclusion, you should not play Texas Hold’em when outside influences are too much of a distraction.
Implement and stick to a gameplan
Often you enter a poker game with the best of intentions, only for your strategy to go out the window the first time you are challenged. This is a terrible idea, particularly if you are not very adept at thinking Texas Hold’em on the fly. While it’s near impossible to implement a poker strategy without first knowing the players at your table, you can lay out some basic ground rules; like no chasing when a pot is above a certain amount or identifying the tight players and opting not to challenge them when they play, unless you have a great hand. A Texas Hold’em game plan and some ground rules can go a long way to stopping you from calling too much or attempting a dodgy bluff on the river.
Be confident
One of the most important qualities a winning poker player can have is confidence. One of the qualities of a true professional poker player is without a doubt, confidence. By confidence we mean the mindset a poker player has even before entering the game. As a matter of fact, even before entering a casino, the player must have an unshakeable confidence that they will win. Naturally, all players know they will experience losing sessions, even several in a row; nevertheless, the player (you) must enter each casino and game with the confidence that you are there to collect your “money” and that you own the game.
We are not advising you that you should voice this confidence in words to the other players, but merely exhibit physically the inner confidence you feel. “You are a winner and nothing can stop you from collecting your money in the long run.”
This quiet confidence will be intimidating to the other players and will allow you to gain control of the table in any game you enter. This is what is referred to as “owning the table” and is often characterised by having other players look to you before betting or afraid to raise against you, even when it is clear that they should.
A prime example of a confident player is top WSOP bracelet winner Phil Helmuth, who can be quite intimidating for amateur players who come up against him in big events. During the 2019 WSOP Main Event, Helmuth was burnt by a non-pro who was chasing a card on the river, taking most of his more fancied rival’s chips. For the next half an hour of play time Helmuth was berating his opponent. “I just gave you chips when you won’t even be in the tournament in four hours”. It was almost to the point of making the entire table uncomfortable, but he slowly worked his way back into the game. The moral of the story is Helmuth, despite being over the top in his approach, believes he is the best player on any table he sits at.
