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Poker Tournaments for You This Week
There is never a dull moment in a poker player’s life. Obviously, the main reason for that is the constant existence of poker tournaments and poker events that one can participate in. These events are not just for making money, but also to have some fun and get better at the game in the process. Several live poker tourneys are lined up for this week and the coming weeks. Here is a note on some of the tournaments you can … Read the rest
2012 PokerStars Macau Poker Championships Announced
PokerStars is one online poker room that never takes a break from hosting tournaments. The poker room recently released details about its upcoming event, the PokerStars Macau Live Tournaments. The Macau tournaments hosted by PokerStars is one of the biggest and richest poker events held in Asia. It includes 4 major poker series – Macau Poker Cup (MPC) Red Dragon, Asia Championship of Poker, Macau Poker Cup Championship or MPCC and the yearly Asia Pacific Poker Tour event at Macau. … Read the rest
The $30,000 Winner Wednesday Dozen Unveiled
Winner Poker has partnered with pokernews.com to bring a new promotion to its new members. The online poker room announced its new promotion called Winner’s Wednesday Dozen Freerolls, which literally lets you win free money. The new promotion is open to all the new players who register with Winner Poker and make a deposit. The promo will run for three months, and all you need to do is play poker and earn as many Winner Points as you can. Here … Read the rest
Texas Holdem Strategy Basics for Beginners
Friday, February 18th, 2011 by Phil
Beginner Strategy Tips for Texas Hold’em Beginners
These strategy tips are aimed at beginners to Texas hold’em. The basics of Texas holdem are like the basics of most other card games. They’re easy to learn, but hard to master. If poker weren’t a subtle game with lots of wrinkles, no one would be interested in playing it. If the basics were ALL you need, then Texas holdem would be boring.
But you do need to understand the basics before moving on the intermediate and advanced strategies.
Self Discipline Matters
It doesn’t matter if you know what to do if you’re too undisciplined to do it. I know plenty of Texas hold’em players who understand what tight play is, but they play too many hands. I know plenty of Texas holdem players who understand what aggressive play is, but they still check and call too often.
Self discipline means that you have to be able to make the right decisions consistently again and again, even when you’re bored, feeling lucky, or pissed off.
Blinds and Bets Matter
If you don’t understand the effect that the blinds have on the game, then you’re going to have a hard time winning at Texas hold’em. The biggest leak in my own game is playing from the blinds. I can play well from any other position at the table, but when I’m in the blinds, I’m at a loss. And I’m barely a break-even player because of it.
Knowing when and how to attack other players’ blinds is a critical poker skill too. If you can steal blinds over and over again but don’t do it, then you’re leaving money on the table. Lots of players have lots of reasons for not attacking the blinds more often. Sometimes it’s a lack of self-discipline, and other times it’s a lack of attention to the other players’ tendencies. Either way, if you’re not exploiting every edge that you have, you’re not going to be a winning Texas hold’em player.
If there were no blinds, the correct Texas hold’em strategy would be to fold until you have the nuts every time. Think about the implications of that for a little while, and your Texas holdem skills will start improving right now.
Bets matter too. Betting isn’t just a way of getting more money into the pot. It’s also how you win pots that you’d never win otherwise. Most players miss the flop. If you’re in a pot with one or two other players, and they both check to you, then having the courage, self-discipline, and aggression to bet into that pot will make you a winner as often or not.
Preflop and Post Flop Texas Holdem Strategy
For beginners, preflop Texas holdem strategy and post flop strategy is pretty easy.
Get the hand, then bet the hand.
Wait until you get good cards before the flop. If they’re GREAT cards, then bet and raise with them. If your opponents seem weak, and your cards are only good, then bet and raise with them. If they’re average cards, and your opponents seem to have average cards, then call with them and see a flop.
If the flop improves your hand, bet and raise. If the flop misses you, and it seems like it missed everyone else too, then bet and raise.
In Texas hold’em, fortune favors the bold.
