How to Strategize in Texas Holdem

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Understand that each bet and each card that comes up on the board is a piece of information.

   You must learn which pieces of information are useful and which ones are useless.
2. 2

   Step 2: Evaluate the flop.

   As far as your hand is concerned, the flop is the most valuable piece of information you will get.
   
   This is hinted at with the phrases, "I'll pay to see the flop" or "that was a cheap flop."
   
   Your pocket hand is the second most useful piece of information you get and best of all, unless you are in the blind, it is free.
   
   You could say that on average it costs one-seventh of a bet in a ten-handed game.
   
   Regardless of what the odds dictate, it's a good choice to pay one-seventh to see the two-sevenths of your hand.
   
   On the other hand, the flop is quite expensive relative to the cost of your pocket hand.
   
   The math says that it is best to play your pocket cards very tight because of the relative cost per card of seeing the flop.
   
   Imagine you are playing a parlor game that involves seven boxes containing between $0 and $5.
   
   You only get to keep the money if you have all seven boxes in front of you.
   
   You get two boxes for free and you open them up.
   
   You got two $1 bills.
   
   The man will let you see three more boxes for $8.
   
   This may seem like a good deal because the average box contains $2.50 and you already have $2, but why would you pay $8 to see three more boxes when you can just play the game again and again until your first two boxes contain $8, $9 or $10? This concept is even stronger in poker because there are more risk factors involved--for example, straights often lose to flushes, two pairs often lose to trips, and sometimes even if you have a full house the board will create a better one for the guy who you thought you had beat. , It is often said that if you don't have a hand by the flop, you need to get out.
   
   In information theory, this could not be more true.
   
   You will probably pay substantially more for each of the final cards than you just paid to see the three previous cards.
   
   Again, the math says that paying just to see a turn or a river card is a sucker bet.
   
   Your money is much better spent paying for blinds and flops.
   
   You will be better off putting your money in a slot machine.
   
   Yes, people have beaten you on the turn and river cards, but that's the tagline.
   
   Remember that Texas Holdem was once a kind of parlor game that hucksters used to swindle draw and stud poker players.
   
   Don't get swindled. , There is one piece of information that is always 100% accurate.
   
   The more people see the flop, the better the winning hand will be.
   
   It may seem illogical from a pot odds perspective, but think of it this way, the more people call the blind, the less of an informational edge you will have.
   
   You get information on how good players' hands are from their bets.
   
   Be very cautious before assuming what another player has.
   
   You have to be one step ahead of your opponents and here's how: if a good player bets high with very little information on the table, he probably has a good hand. , If you flop a monster/"the nuts" (the best possible flop with your hold cards) or at least trips, just check and call any bets to induce a bluff since you seem weak, or on the bad side, you may let your opponents catch a card on the turn or river.
   
   Slow-playing works best with loose aggressive players that you hope will try to bluff when no one has bet/as if they have nothing.
   
   If you flop a full house and bet out, everyone folds and you only win a small pot.
   
   So just check and let others lead out, as you try to catch a card on 4th or 5th street.
   
   Be careful, though, that you don't slow-play and get many opponents checking to see draws.
   
   For example, if you hold T(♥)
   - T(♠), and the flop comes T(♣)
   - 9(♦)
   - 3(♣) for "trips T's"
   
   and you now have three or more opponents in the pot.
   
   Do not slow play your set/trips, especially if you raised pre-flop and are known to make continuation bets.
   
   Bet "a third of the pot" to make the flush draws and straight draws fold or pay to see the next card., Win by intimidation
   -- not Most Popular.
   
   Psyche (tilt) the other players, within the rules of a tournament.
   
   Keep quizzing earlier position players face up and theorizing about their hand while betting against them, without violating rules.
   
   Bragging about hitting the nuts, coconuts, monkey nuts is silly but boggles their minds.
   
   Over-talk, over-analyze how you might bet; say how they may be "strategizing"
   
   about what they hold: "So, do you think you are ahead.
   
   Do you? So what do you have, like something good.
   
   Oh, so is it suited? Are they connectors? Well, suited connectors, no? So, you have small pair, or do you?"
   -- while watching the reactions of each of the betters who are in the pot ahead of you.
   
   Remark without delaying play when one loses to you on a showdown, "How could you bet on Jack, ten?" and stuff like, "Why would you waste your time and money on Queen-high, awe, oh man..." Don't expect answers, but don't interfere with actual play.
   
   Ask about any sort of legitimate issue.
   
   Ask about every aspect of their game only as you face each person, on each and every round, as you are apparently deciding how much to bet or whether to fold.
   
   Especially against shorter stacks, ask never-ending but seemingly sensible questions while you decide. "You want me to bet? Or, do you want me to fold?" so then "If you want we to bet, I might have to fold.
   
   Honestly, what do you want
   -- me to do, fold? Yeah, fold? Fold right..." Then if your opponent folds with a much better hand than you
   -- you only show your low card.
   
   Steam will come out of the folder's ears.
   
   You put your opponent on tilt.
   
   Take "forever" to fold, being careful, then say, "I think you got the nuts, right? So, you have queen or better, okay, I fold." If that feels right, and you are not already all-in... "Every time you play your hand the way you would, if you could see your opponents' cards, you gain, and every time your opponents play their cards differently from the way they would play them, if they could see your cards, you gain."
   
   per David Sklansky author, considered an expert on gambling.
   
   Which is like "Play to 'what the opponent most likely holds from their time/position/size of bet and based on past pattern of play,' and get the other to play to 'whatever you suggest that you have and know what they have by your chatter and leading questions while you were deciding how to bet.' "
   -- then the opponent quite often folds the better hand because you've put so many confusing/spinning thoughts in his/her mind (tilt!). , Don't expect many answers.
   
   Ask for various counts: "So, how much is your stack?" "I may just put you all in!" "I'll show you my hand at the end, okay."
   
   then quickly say "if you show me yours, I'll show you mine"... "Do want me to count my stack; well, (taking some time) I have about ___." Be serious, "I need to know ____" asking "how much is in the pot?"
   
   "how much is the current bet""
   
   etc.
   -- anything theoretically worth knowing.
   
   As if you don't know. "Hey, so you have a bottom pair.
   
   No, it's top pair." "Now, I think you're on a queen...
   
   Yeah, yeah, you do have a face card.
   
   You do, right?" You can say such guesses, and ask about your guess, about their hold; now, change your mind; guess again, etc.
   
   Get the table hot, angry or exasperated, so they may over-bet on weak hands to try to get back at you.
   
   But they end up folding or losing hands, stuttering, muttering and confused.
   
   Tone it down to be less hated.
   
   Don't talk while they are deciding what to bet or to fold.
   
   Be, "Mr.
   
   Nice Guy" in words.
   
   Say, "Nice hand!" even if you win it.
   
   Say, "good play, nice round"
   
   but not letting up on the quiz. , A bluff coming from early position is an all-around bad move.
   
   You should only bluff when you expect to get a return on your money in the long run (with some exceptions
   - see Tips).
   
   Based only on the cards and bets, you don't know what you are up against.
   
   Your raise may look intimidating, but only the tightest of players will throw away a pocket pair or two high cards in the face of an early position raise.
   
   Anyone who routinely bluffs from early position will lose in the long run.
   
   Similarly, bluffing and semi-bluffing from late position is a more appropriate strategy as it will confuse the early position player... if you have been playing well on a regular basis. , You typically slow-play to hide the value of your hand.
   
   There is no point to slow-playing if you are in late position.
   
   Your hand's value is already obscured by the fact that you have position.
   
   People are already unsure of how good your hand is, so why let them see another card that might save them.
   
   Slow-playing from early position is a good move.
   
   An early position call on the flop followed by a check on the flop completely disguises your hand.
3. 3

   Step 3: Evaluate your pocket hand.

4. 4

   Step 4: Evaluate the turn and the river.

5. 5

   Step 5: Gather information about the other players' hands.

6. 6

   Step 6: Slow-play especially on your monster hands.

7. 7

   Step 7: Intimidate as a big part of your strategies.

8. 8

   Step 8: Get into the mind of your immediate opponent

9. 9

   Step 9: heated to distraction.

10. 10

    Step 10: Know when to bluff.

11. 11

    Step 11: Know when to slow-play (conservative approach).

Detailed Guide

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