Entries from July 2008 ↓

How do you play Texas hold’em? Texas hold’em is one of the simplest of poker games to learn. However, mastering the game can be extremely difficult.

If you’ve never played poker before, Texas hold’em is a good game to start with as it is the most popular game for cash games as well as poker tournaments. Most of the cards are shared so there is not much of which to keep track. The game breaks down as follows.

The Start of a Texas Hold’em Deal

The game starts with the player to the left of the dealer putting up a bet. The player to his left then puts up a bigger bet, usually twice the size of the first bet. These players are called the small blind and big blind respectively. Their bets start the action.

Two cards are then dealt to each player. The player to the left of the big blind must now decide based on his two cards whether to call the big blind’s bet, raise, or fold, giving up on the hand. This process continues clockwise around the table.

When it is the small blind’s turn, he may complete to a full bet, raise or fold. If someone has already raised, he may call, raise or fold. The big blind may then check or raise if no one else has raised, or call, raise or fold if someone has raised.

Post Flop Play

Once all players have called all bets or folded, the dealer turns three cards up in the middle of the table. This is the flop.

Starting to the left of the dealer and proceeding clockwise, players may now check or bet. If someone bets, the following players may fold, call or raise. Once this betting round ends, a fourth card, the turn, is put face up in the middle. 

Another betting round, usually at double the prior limit, takes place. There is then a fifth card, the river, put out and a final betting round. Anyone who has not folded turns up their cards. Whoever has the best five card poker hand using the two cards in their plus the five on the board wins the pot.

The Button

In a casino and online, the casino deals for the players. For this reason, one player gets “the button,” a white disk that indicates he is in the dealer position even though he is not actually dealing. The button rotates clockwise with each deal.

Table Selection Concepts: Seat Selection

Many poker players realize that to be successful at poker, they need to expand their repertoire of skills beyond knowing when to bluff and when to raise. Seemingly, insignificant factors such as table selection can play an important role. Finding the right table, one with players weaker than you are, can give you an edge you might otherwise miss. Once you’ve found the right table though, your work is not done.

Poker Table Seat Selection: Loose Opponents

Once you’re at the table of your choice, what if there is more than one seat open? Where do you sit? Base your decision on the observations you have made while couting out the table.

In online texas holdem, more specifically at a no limit texas holdem table, you would like to sit so that loose players are on your immediate right. This is so that in most cases these players will act before you. If you have a marginal hand or want to try to steal the pot, it will be easier knowing that this player has already acted. If you have a strong hand and would like to trap, this player will often bet into you, making trapping more effective.

Tight Opponents

Tight opponents opponents are better to have on your left. If you bet and are raised, you will be able to put this player on a strong hand, allowing you to get away from the hand if you are weak. In most cases, when the flop misses both you and this opponent, you will be able to put in a bet first and take control of the hand, often winning the pot outright.

Notes About Seat Selection

Not all players will have obvious tendencies that allow you to take advantage through seat selection. Keep your eyes open though. If you notice a good seat, tell the dealer you want it after it opens. Most players will think you are switching seats because the new seat is “lucky.” It may be, but not in the way that they think.

Sadly, one way in which poker and sports betting are very similar is in the area of cheating. That is to say, if there is money to be made in something, someone will try to exploit the rules to give him or herself an unfair advantage.

In poker and sports betting, cheating manifests itself in different ways.

Cheating in Poker

Poker cheats operate most commonly by manipulating the cards in some way. Some cheats can deal from the bottom of the deck, others may try to slip a stacked deck into play. With the advent of online poker, these methods are less effective.

The most common way of cheating in online poker is collusion, playing on more than one account on a table at once, or getting a confederate to work with you at the table. From statistical reasons this is probably most effective in shorthanded poker.

This is something that the poker sites try to prevent by rigorous monitoring of user activities.

Cheating in Sports Betting

When betting with an unlicensed bookie, you run the danger of the bookie cheating you by trying to alter the lines or the amount of money you are on record as betting after the fact, insisting that your memory is inaccurate.

Another old school method of cheating is past posting, placing or laying a bet on an event where you already know the outcome. Just as with poker, the Internet has made this kind of cheating difficult.

Now the best way to cheat in sports betting is to do something to affect the outcome of the game, such as paying a player not to perform at his best.

Protecting Against Cheating in Poker and Sports Betting

As should be obvious, playing Texas Holdem online is a great way to avoid a lot of cheating that you might run into when gambling privately. Poker sites keep a vigilant eye on the users 24/7, and you can be assured there are no hidden cameras in your own kitchen.

If you don’t like to play online, at least be sure to make your bets in a licensed casino.

Bluffing in poker is not cheating

Don’t get things mixed up, though. Bluffing in a poker game is not cheating. Bluffing is an integral part of poker. It’s built into the Texas Holdem rules, and is what sets poker apart as such a great and exciting game.