Things to remember in Texas Hold em
To be great at Texas Hold’Em, you must be able to multitask: You need to read your opponent, watch for cues and tells, call their bluffs and fold when they have the better hand. The basics that beginners must learn and professionals remember include:
1. The Hole cards are the only cards that set you apart from every other player at the table. All of the face-up cards are community cards shared by you and every other player. Remembering what those seven cards mean for your hand is one thing, but you have to consider what it five of those cards mean for other players in terms of straights and flushes and other opportunities
2. Don’t tell your PokerStar.com opponents what you hole cards before the flop. You can give yourself away by taking a sudden breath, a widening of the eyes, the twitch of a finger. Your opponents will be trying to read you as you read them. Stay calm and emotionless no matter what the cards.
3. Learn how to read your hole cards: This comes down to your style of play, the stakes and the number of players. Me personally, I will fold if I have less than an 8-9 of the same suite. Most aggressive players will stay in on 8-9. Conservatives might fold if they have non-paired, non-suite cards less than ten. So depending on the game, my hole cards could range between decent to barely playable.
4. If nobody has raised and people are folding, it might be worth matching the big blind to see the flop, even with subpar cards. A pair of sixes (marginal hole cards in my opinion) might suddenly be game winners if the third and fourth sixes appear in the Flop. Avoid abusing this or you will wind up in a deep hole faster than you can imagine.
5. A common novice mistake is not to cut their losses after the flop. They think that since they are in, they are in to the end. Wrong! If you have seven players, most of the time the winning hand will be a two-pair or better. If you don’t have a high pair, or a good chance for a straight of flush, quit while you’re ahead.
6. Do not be afraid to check you monster hand, if you are first to bet after the Flop. This can work two ways. First, if your hand is weak, you might see another card (the Turn) without paying for it, and if your cards are strong, you can bluff and make people think your cards are weaker.
7. The Turn and The River, give you the chance to fold or up your winnings. Be cautious and do not let a weak, no value hand suck you in on The Turn. If you do not have that straight or the flush, check and wait for the river. If it comes back because someone of a raise: Fold.
8. Remember these tips, and enjoy a better hand of Texas Hold’Em.