Texas Holdem Poker Tips
Want to survive in today's online poker rooms? Then you need to learn how to win at Texas holdem. These Texas holdem poker tips should help.
Texas Holdem Poker Tip #1 - Choosing Your Game
The most important decision you make playing Texas Holdem is what kind of game to play. Choosing between 6 max and full ring poker has a big impact on strategy.
The most obvious difference is that 6 max tables move faster than full ring games. Because the game moves faster, players are more aggressive in 6 max games. 6 max games offer way more hands per hour than full ring Texas holdem games.
This also leads to the biggest downside for 6 max games—these games have a lot more variance than full ring Texas holdem. Because 6 max games are so aggressive and fast, holdem players are willing to play a wider range of hands, automatically increasing the game’s variance.
Because of the larger number of players, full ring Texas holdem is a slower game with fewer hands per hour. Full ring games also see less variance due to a more narrow range of hands played through.
Players looking for faster games with more action should stick to 6 max,
while those who don’t like the huge amount of variance in more aggressive
games should stick to full ring Texas holdem.
Texas Holdem Poker Tip #2 - Stake Selection
You should play at a table where the most number of players are less
skilled than you are. Rather than joining the first table you see, spend
a few minutes looking for the right table with the right (read: less
skilled) players.
If you’re playing online poker, pay attention to the lobby stats that most
poker sites provide. These stats let you know what kind of players are at
which tables. Be aware that no set of lobby statistics is 100% accurate—use
these numbers as a guide rather than a Bible.
Texas Holdem Poker Tip #3 - Squeezing
The squeeze play is one of the more common tactics in Texas holdem. It's used to win a pot without too much of an investment.
A squeeze is any bet used to convince your opponents to fold. Most often, a player will three bet two or more opponents to scare them into folding.
An example: a player opens from the middle position and the player at the cut off position called their first raise. If you are on the button and decide to re-raise (known as a three bet) you may convince both the initial raiser and the caller at the cut off position to fold, giving you the go ahead to a cheap pot. That’s a perfectly executed squeeze play.
There are three determining factors for any squeeze play:
1. Table image. Have you been active and aggressive all game? If so, your three bet will probably be ignored, and your squeeze play will fail.
2. Opponents images. Are your opponents likely to call your three bet? Can they turn your three bet into a four bet? If your players have been active and aggressive, a squeeze play probably won’t work.
3. Table position. How many players can act behind you? If your squeeze play is going to seem obvious based on your table position, you should avoid it.
The squeeze can be a good way to put pressure on weak opponents, but only if the three points above are considered.
Texas Holdem Poker Tip #4 - The Continuation Bet
Also known as a c-bet, a continuation bet is when you follow up an opening raise with a bet on the flop, regardless of how well or badly the flop fits your hand. A continuation bet is an attempt to force your opponents to reconsider their strategy.
In Texas holdem, most players still play by the fit or fold mantra. That means most people will only play a hand if they have something worthwhile. The continuation bet is a gamble to force these players to stick to their guns.
Consider these three factors before attempting a c-bet:
1. Board texture. Is the board draw heavy or dry? A draw heavy board means your opponent may have called pre flop holding a spec hand that they hope improves on the flop. If the board is dry, your opponent probably doesn’t really have anything, and may be forced out of a bad bet.
2. Opponent skill. C-bets work best against players with a historically high fold-to-continuation bet percentage. This is when poker tracking software can really help the online poker player make a c-bet decision. Otherwise, taking good mental notes or observing an opponent’s playing style is the only way to be sure.
3. Number of opponents. Any game situation involving more than one opponent changes your c-bet strategy dramatically. If the board hasn’t improved your hand, reconsider your continuation bet. Having more than one opponent increases the range of hands to compete against. It is likely that at least one opponent has connected in some way.
Texas Holdem Poker Tip #5 - The Double Barrel
The double barrel is an attempt to fix an unsuccessful continuation bet. A double barrel is simply an addition bet on the turn, another shot at taking down the pot.
The double barrel move is best against opponents with a low fold to continuation bet percentage and/or a high fold to turn bet percentage. You can only know these numbers for sure if you’re playing online and if you choose to use poker tracking software, or if you’re some sort of statistical genius and take good mental notes. For a double barrel move to work, you have to re-examine the board texture to see if a draw that was possible on the flop has failed to come together on the turn. In that case, you can use a double barrel to force your opponent to fold.
Another reason to bet again on the turn is when the turn improves your hand or at very least hands you a draw worth betting on. A turn like this improves your hand equity reduces your double barrel bet to a “little white lie” rather than an outright bluff.
Texas Holdem Poker Tip #6 - Understanding Player Image
Understanding both your own image and the image of your opponents is critical to success at Texas holdem. Understanding your own image gives you insight into how your opponents see your plays, and can help you adjust your game and mix up your betting and playing style. By the same token, understanding your opponent’s images helps you change up your game and gives insight into how best to take them down.
Texas Holdem Poker Tip #7 - Taking Notes
If you’re an online poker player, the ability to take notes by hand while you play is a huge advantage. Try taking out a pen and pad at your next ring game at the casino and see how far you get. But now that poker hand tracking software is available for use in online poker rooms, many people have abandoned taking notes by hand in favor of poker software. Having hard evidence of how certain players perform under certain game situations is worth the effort it takes to scratch out some hand written notes.
While you’re taking notes, try to develop your own shorthand so that you
save time and don’t get too caught up in your note taking. Be sure to add
the date and the stakes to your game and player notes, so that after your
session you can go back over your notes and put them in some sort of
legible, easy to read format.
As weak Texas holdem players lose interest and fall by the wayside, the
skill level in poker rooms and at online games only improves. It is up to
you to improve your Texas holdem skills—simply sitting at poker tables isn’t
enough to become a better Texas holdem player. Reading books on holdem
strategy and participating in online forums about Texas holdem are both easy
ways to improve your game.
Texas holdem is the champagne of poker variants, played by poker pros and
amateurs alike, played in casinos and online poker rooms as well as in
amateur games all over the country. Improving your Texas holdem skills will
make you a better poker player and a better gambler.
This Texas holdem tips page was last updated on May 28, 2010.