| Poker Strategy |
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Poker STRATEGY: An Overview
This is a brief introduction to Poker playing. Read carefully in order to get the most out of this text. There are really two different things you must learn when you want to learn how to play poker. The first is the basics of the game and the second how to bet in poker. To begin with, poker is a classic gambling game played with a standard deck of playing cards. The object of poker is to arrange groups of cards together into sets commonly known as hands. There are so many different variations of poker that it is difficult to go into to much detail when discussing poker in general. A hand of poker is won by the player with the highest-ranking hand among the players who are still in the game at the end of the betting. The goal of playing poker isn't simply to win a lot of hands. The goal it's to win as much money as possible! Over a series of many deals, successful players will be ones who maximize their winnings on the deals they win while minimizing their losses on the deals they lose. The highest-ranking hand in poker is five cards of the same value or five of a kind. However, a five of a kind is only possible in a game with wild cards. The highest-ranking hand in a poker game without wild cards is the straight flush. The hand rankings from highest to lowest are as follows; five of a kind, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, high card. When two hands are of the same rank, the tiebreak depends on the type of hand. For straight flushes, flushes, straights, and nothing, the hand containing the highest card wins. Thus, the straight Q-J-10-9-8 beats the straight J-10-9-8-7. It would also beat 5-4-3-2-A, because the ace is being used as a low card in this case. If there is a tie between high cards, the second-highest cards are compared, and so on downward, until one card is higher than another. For example, the flush A-10-4-3-2 beats the flush A-9-8-7-6 because the 10 is higher than the 9. If all five cards are identical except for suit, the hands are equal and the pot is shared equally between the winning players. For example, a royal flush in spades would tie with a royal flush in diamonds. For four of a kind and three of a kind, the hand with the higher ranking matched set wins; 7-7-7-3-2 beats 6-6-6-A-K because sevens are higher than sixes. Unmatched cards matter only if the sets are equal; K-K-J-3-2 beats K-K-9-8-7 because the jack beats the 9. For full houses, the highest three of a kind determines the winner. If the three of a kinds have the same rank then the higher pair wins, otherwise the ranks of the pairs are ignored. For two pair and pair, the hand with the highest pair wins.
The Betting Poker is a game all about betting. As Kenny Rogers sang, "You got to know when to hold 'em; know when to fold 'em" At the beginning of each hand, each player typically places a small amount of money, known as the ante, into the center of the table. Some forms of poker use alternatives to antes such as blind bets, which are used in hold 'em poker games. These bets form the initial pot, which will go to the winner of the hand. At certain times during the deal and play of a hand, players may make additional bets, increasing the value of the pot. Whenever a player bets, other players must match the bet in order to continue playing. This is known as seeing the bet or calling the bet. Players may also raise to increase the amount of the bet or drop out of the hand. Dropping out of a hand in called folding. Players may fold when they know they have no chance of winning the pot. When a player folds he forfeits the money that he has added to the pot but does not have to add any additional money as the other players continue to bet. If all players fold except for one then that player automatically wins the pot. Poker betting rules can vary greatly depending on which variation of the game is being played. Most games are limit games, where there is a maximum amount players may bet or raise, as well as a maximum number of raises allowed per round of betting. High-stakes games are sometimes pot limit games, in which the current size of the pot determines the maximum allowable bet, or no-limit games, in which players' bets are limited only by the amount of money they have brought to the table.
The Setup It is difficult to summarize the basic rules of poker due to the many different variations of the game. Poker uses a standard deck of 52 playing cards, some poker games use more or less depending on the variation. A common poker rule variation is to add wild cards such as jokers. The cards are ranked from highest to lowest as follows; Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. In certain poker rule variations the Ace may also be the lowest card. All suits are valued the same. Most poker hands contain five cards. There are also some popular variations involving seven-card hands, like 7 Card Stud. The player with the highest hand wins. If wild cards are being used they can take any rank or suit desired. Wild cards can be either a separate card added, like a joker, or a certain card in the standard deck may be specified as wild, such as deuces or one-eyed jacks. The dealing of the cards is dependant on which poker rule variation you are playing. In a standard 5 Card Draw game, 5 cards are dealt face down to each player. In some poker rule variations, such as Texas Hold'Em Poker, certain cards are dealt face up for everyone to see, called Hole Cards.
The Play In home poker games, it is typical for players start the betting with a specified initial amount, called an ante. Casinos usually use blinds for their poker games. A blind is a forced bet placed by one or more players before the deal begins. These initial bets are intended as an incentive for people to remain in the hand. The initial amounts are placed in the center of the table; this is called the pot. At the end of a hand, the highest hand of the remaining players wins the pot. Some players may have dropped out before the end of the hand. If two or more players tie at the end of the hand, the pot is usually divided equally between the winning players. Betting also depends on the specific poker rules of the poker variation you are playing. Betting usually begins with the player directly to the dealer's left and continues in a clockwise order. If no one made a bet yet, you have two betting options; Open or Check. To Open simply means that you are making the first bet after the initial pot has been set. If no bet has been made an you do not wish to Open, then you Check. To Check means you don't want to bet more on your hand but you aren't ready to give up on it yet. After the betting has been Opened, you have three choices when it is your turn to bet: See, Raise or Fold. To See, or Call, means that you wish to stay in the hand but do not wish to bet a higher amount. To stay in the hand you must bet enough to match what has been bet since your last bet. If you initially bet $5 and another player bets $15, you would have to bet an additional $10 to See the bet. If you wish to stay in the hand and you want to bet more then the current betting level, then you will Raise. To Raise you must first match the current bet and then put in the additional amount that you would like to increase the bet. If you initially bet $5 and another player bets $15, if you want to Raise the bet level to $20, you match the current bet with $10 and then add another $5 to Raise the bet. In some poker rule variations there are limits to the amount a player is allowed to Raise. Fixed limit games are most common in casinos, while spread limit games are more common in home poker games. No limit and pot limit games are less common, but some poker games play particularly well with those structures. The last option you have is to Fold. When you Fold you drop out of the current hand and lose the possibility of winning the pot. Why would you want to Fold? Folding allows you to step out of a bad hand without wasting any more of your money. It can be a very valuable option when used correctly. Poker Hands The following listing of poker hands assumes a five-card poker hand with standard ranking. The poker hands are listed from highest to lowest value hand. Make sure you know what the hands are and their respective hierarchy before sitting down in an actual poker game. If two or more winning players have the exact same rank poker hand then the pot should be split evenly between the players. Five of a Kind A Five of a Kind is the highest possible poker hand. This hand consists of five cards of the same rank regardless of suit. If more than one player a has Five of a Kind, the higher card value wins, five Aces beats five Kings, which beat Five queens, and so on. A Five of a Kind is only possible when wilds cards are being used.
Royal Flush A Royal Flush is an Ace high Straight Flush, A-K-Q-J-10. It gets it's own special name because the Royal Flush is the best natural poker hand. Natural just means the hand is possible without any wild card. See below for the definition of a Straight Flush.
Straight Flush The Straight Flush is a combination between a Straight and a Flush; clever name isn't it. A Straight is five cards in sequential order, such as 4-5-6-7-8. In most poker variations an Ace can be either high (A-K-Q-J-10) or low (5-4-3-2-1). A Straight may not wraparound, such as Q-K-A-2-3. This hand would not be a Straight. A Flush is five cards of the same suit. Therefore, a Straight Flush is 5 cards in sequential order that are all the same suit. If you hand had a 6 of clubs, 7 of clubs, 8 of clubs, 9 of clubs and 10 of clubs you would have a Straight Flush, and probably be pretty happy.
Four of a Kind Four of a Kind is simply four cards of the same rank regardless of suit. If there are two or more hands that qualify, the hand with the higher rank Four of a Kind wins. If you find yourself in a situation where two players have a Four of a Kind with the same rank, then the hand with the highest card outside the Four of the Kind wins. So 4-4-4-4-A would beat 4-4-4-4-9.
Full House A Full House is a Three of a Kind and a Pair, such as Q-Q-Q-3-3. Ties are broken first by the Three of a Kind, then by the Pair. So Q-Q-Q-3-3 beats 9-9-9-A-A and 9-9-9-A-A beats 9-9-9-Q-Q.
Flush A Flush is a hand where all of the cards are the same suit. When two or more players have a Flush, follow the rules below for High Card.
Straight A Straight consists of five cards of any suit in sequential order, such as 5-6-7-8-9. As mentioned in the Straight Flush, an Ace can be either high (A-K-Q-J-10) or low (5-4-3-2-1) but cannot wraparound (Q-K-A-2-3 is not a straight). When two players have Straight the hand with the higher rank high card wins. So 6-7-8-9-10 beats 3-4-5-6-7. If two Straights have the same high card value they split the pot.
Three of a Kind A Three of a Kind is three cards that have the same rank. If your other two cards are a Pair then you've got a Full House not a Three of a Kind (and you should bet more!) If two or more players have a Three of a Kind then the highest rank cards win. If both are the same rank, follow the rules below for High Card. Two Pair The Two Pair hand is two distinct Pairs of cards that have the same rank and a 5th card of a different rank. K-K-Q-Q-5 would be a Two Pair. The highest Pair wins ties. If both hands have the same high Pair, the second Pair wins. If both hands have the same set of Pairs, follow the rules below for High Card.
Pair A Pair is two cards of the same rank with three other distinct cards. Use the High Card rules for tiebreakers.
High Card High Card is any combination that does not qualify as one of the poker hands above. If no one has a pair or better, then the highest card wins. If multiple people tie for the highest card, then look at the second highest, then the third highest etc. High Card is also used to break ties when other top poker hands have the same rank.
Winning Poker Hands This course explains how to determine who has the winning poker hand after all the betting is done. The first step to determine the winning hand is to take a look at all the players' cards. For this course we are assuming a standard five-card poker hand. The player with the highest-ranking poker hand wins. Cards can have one of the following ranks in ascending order: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace. The suit of a card will be either Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs or Spades. If there is a tie the pot is usually split equally among the winning hands. In a five-card game a sixth card is never used to break a tie. Folding means a player throws in their hand and gives up playing that round. If all other players fold the last remaining player wins. A player who folds does not need to show their cards at the end of the hand. The winning poker hands are listed below in descending order- Five Of A Kind - 5 cards of the same rank, only possible with wild cards Royal Flush - Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten of the same suit Straight Flush - Five cards of the same suit in sequence Four Of A Kind - Four cards of equal rank Full House - Three cards of equal rank and two different cards of equal rank Flush - Five cards of the same suit Straight - Five cards in sequence regardless of suit Three Of A Kind - Three cards of equal rank Two Pair - Two cards of equal rank and two different cards of equal rank Pair - Two cards of equal rank High Card - Any five cards not fitting one of the above ranks, Ace is the highest-ranking high card, two is the lowest Basic Poker Strategy The game of poker is more about skill than most gambling games. Chance is certainly still a major factor but you won't win by chance alone. Without a good grasp of basic poker strategy you won't do well against experienced players. One of the most important things to remember when player poker is that your strategy should be to win as much and lose as little as possible on each hand, not to get the best hand. You're in the game to win money, not pots. Any player can win a pot. Just play every hand and call every bet until the bitter end, and you'll win every pot you possibly can. But you'll lose a ton of money in the process. The top poker players play few hands and maximize their return when the odds are in their favor. One of the worst strategies possible is trying to stay with an initial bad hand. If you don't have a winning combination in your hand when the betting begins, it's often in your best interest to fold. Stay in every now and then to confuse your opponents but don't generally count on turning a bad thing into a good one. Remember, money saved is just as valuable as money won. The best basic poker strategy is to play selectively and aggressively. The odds will shift as cards are dealt across the table. Know what your odds are and play aggressively when they're in your favor. But watch yourself, if you consistently play aggressive then your opponents will recognize your tendencies and wait till they have a better hand than you. You must learn to play unpredictably. If other player can see you are tight player or a loose player then they'll easily know how to go about taking your money. Be able to switch gears if you get stuck in a losing streak. Don't just start playing aggressively trying to turn bad hands around. The best strategy is to do the opposite, gear down and play fewer hands. Wait out your streak of bad luck; eventually it will pass. Study your opponents and learn to anticipate their actions. When hands are turned over at showdown, notice who's holding what. Try to recall betting patterns earlier in the hand. When possible make notes of players' patterns. Bluffing can be a powerful poker strategy but it should only be used sparingly. It's not a good idea to bluff a loose player. It's unlikely the will fold. Your best chance to successfully bluff is when you're up against a tight player with a relatively small pot. These basic poker strategy concepts apply to all forms of poker. Keep in mind that each variation of poker is quite different, and will have its own specific strategies and tactics. Learn to combine these basic strategies with game-specific tactics. The best way to win at poker is to learn these strategies and practice, practice, practice. Like any skill it will take time and effort to become a proficient and dangerous poker player.
More Poker Tips The following poker tips are meant to provide some basic tips for intermediate poker players. The tips are based on the experience of seasoned professionals. Basic poker tips can provide a nice supplement of information to players that have a grasp of poker strategy but little actual experience.
Play at your skill level
Don't step into a tournament if you're just learning to play poker. If you want to make money, be sure you know who your opponents are and be sure you can play at least as well as they can. Don't play above your limit Most experts agree that you should start with at least 50 times the table limit. Know when to fold 'em Top poker players typically play 20 to 30% of their starting hands. You can remove some of the luck element of poker by concentrating on higher value starting hands.
Study your opponents' habits
You can almost learn as much about a player's hand by watching their behavior as you can by actually seeing the cards. How do they bet when they're buffing? How do they act when they have a good hand? The way to win at poker is to know what your opponents are holding before they lay their cards down.
Don't call unless you would be willing to raise
Basically, only call if you think you have the best hand at the table. If you wouldn't raise then you may want to consider abandoning the hand.
Learn to bluff but use it sparingly
Top poker players only bluff when they know they there's a low risk of being called. Don't depend on bluffing to get yourself out of a string of bad luck. That's a good way to lose all your money.
Keep your opponents on their toes
If your opponents have taken this course than they know to study your actions in the same way you should be studying theirs. The best way to beat a diligent player is to be unpredictable. A player that is easy to understand is a player that is easy to beat.
Know your position and how to use it
The ideal poker position is the dealer, or button, as it is the last position to act. In this position you have the advantage of watching all of the betting action before you need to make a decision.
There's nothing wrong with online poker
Online poker is a good place to test your basic skills and figure out a good strategy. At the casino, you'll have to play more wisely against possibly more skilled competition.
Know what the best hand is when you make your bet
For example, if the board is single suited and your best hand is a three of a kind then you need to consider someone may very well have a flush.
Don't get too greedy
It's much better to win some small pots than lose a few big ones. If you have the best hand and the pot is big enough, go ahead and push as big a raise as you can in an attempt to take it down at that point. Don't feel bad about not making as much as you could have had you let people stay in.
Don't worry be happy Play when you're felling good. If you're feeling angry, tired or sad you probably won't play your best. Remember, it's a game and it's supposed to be fun.
Do your research In addition to these courses, there are many good poker books dealing with poker strategy and how to play the game. Also, take notes on what works for you and what does not. It is important for you to come up with a style of play that fits you and improves your game.
Poker Odds There are countless factors that can come into play when determining the odds of all the variations and situations that may arise in playing poker. This course is merely meant to give you an idea of what your respective card odds are of having a particular hand. Card odds are the most familiar and widely used poker odds. It is simply the probability of being dealt or drawing a particular poker hand. The table below shows the statistical frequency with which different poker hands occur. The number in the frequency column represents the number of hands that would need to be dealt for it to be probale that a player would have the specified poker hand. For example, a player would be likely to receive a flush once every 509 hands. The resulting poker odds are 1/509 or about 0.2% chance of being dealt a flush.
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