Texas Hold'em
How to play Texas Holdem poker
There are many variations of poker but without doubt online Texas Hold em poker is by far the most popular. TV poker shows is the main reason for the massive exposure and the interest for poker and especially online poker. Texas Hold em tournaments with massive prize pools are shown on many of the biggest TV channels in the world and alone in US there is more than 10.000.000 online poker players who play Texas Hold em on a regular basis.
Watching how professional poker players play this extraordinary game in TV programs is great. However the TV shows do not entirely cover all the aspects of Texas Holdem poker strategy. The crucial decisions made by players depend on many factors and in reality the two hole cards is only a fractional part of the decision making.
No limit Texas Holdem is a skill game. It is proven many times and in recent years many countries have actually investigated if poker was gambling or skill. The conclusion remains the same all over the world. Texas Poker is a game of skill.
The internet is a great place to train your Texas Poker skills. Free Texas Hold em poker downloads is available on most online poker websites today and it is a viable option to participate in Texas Holdem tournament freerolls without making a deposit.
When you play free Teaxs Holdem it is important to remember that your opposition does not have anything on stake and many participants in freerolls are actually not even trying to play Texas Holdem but goes all in more or less every hand.
Online Texas Holdem games are offered on all stakes and it is possible to play the game against serious competitors without risking a lot and it is advisable to create a real money poker account as Holdem become a lot more serious when money is at stake.
Easy rules
Texas Holdem rules are fairly easy to understand and only take a few minutes to learn. If you should play a hand or not is one of the most fundamental decisions you make when you play Texas Holdem poker. The game is in its nature a “high card” game because high cards leave many more chances of winning than low cards.
Texas Holdem hand selection is therefore something that needs to be second nature when you play poker. To decide which Texas Hold em poker hands is playable also depends on the position you have in the betting round.
Assuming 9 players at the Texas Holdem poker table, players can use the following Texas Hold em chart as a help to understand which hands are playable preflop. The chart is meant to be a guideline and is not factoring in opponents behavior, blind levels, stack sizes, if the pot has already been raised or other important factors.
The below chart divides Texas Hold em hands into groups and was originally constructed by the Mason Malmuth and David Sklansky.
Group 1:AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AKs
Group 2: TT, AQs, AJs, KQs, AK
Group 3:99, JTs, QJs, KJs, ATs, AQ
Group 4:T9s, KQ, 88, QTs, 98s, J9s, AJ, KTs
Group 5:77, 87s, Q9s, T8s, KJ, QJ, JT, 76s, 97s, Axs, 65s
Group 6: 66, AT, 55,86s, KT, QT, 54s, K9s, J8s, 75s
Group 7: 44, J9, 64s, T9, 53s, 33, 98,43s, 22, Kxs, T7s, Q8s
Group 8: 87, A9, Q9, 76,42s, 32s, 96s, 85s, 58, J7s, 65, 54
An “s” after any of the above Texas Poker hands refers to the hand being suited.
Group 1 and 2 can be played from any position.
Group 3 to 5 are playable only in mid and late position.
Group 6 to 8 can only be played from late position.
Playing strictly after the Sklansky groups preflop are of course not healthy in the long run. If you continuously play against the same players on a regular basis it will simply be too easy for you opponents to determine your hand range and make decisions easier for them. However playing too many hands from wrong positions will cause a disaster and should be avoided in most cases. Again poker has to be played as a situational game and many things determine what the best option at a given point is.
The exceptions
No rules without exceptions and this are certainly truer in poker than in many other games. In rare occasion folding AA preflop will be the correct strategy. Beginning to think about your position at table will improve your game significantly in a short period of time. Understanding how to play Texas Hold em poker a little bit better than your opponents increases your chances of making a profit considerably and definitely makes this enjoyable game more fun.