Here at Juicy Stakes Poker we get this request fairly often. We feel that the gist of many of our articles are simplifications of Texas Hold’em but we will take a stab at a full article devoted to making Texas Hold’em as simple as possible for the true beginner.
We do expect you to know the hierarchy of hands so that there is no confusion between a straight and a flush or three of a kind and two pair.
How Much Can You Afford?
As a true beginner in Texas Hold’em, you can expect to lose some money at first. You should be honest with yourself as to how much that is. If the amount is really small, you probably should consider playing a different game that does not require betting.
Even if you are a millionaire, you should start out at low stakes. You should play like a player who is playing at low stakes for financial reasons. A true beginner playing at overly high stakes will lose a lot of money, which a rich person can afford to lose. But that rich person starting out at high stakes will likely never get better at Texas Hold’em and the goal here is to start simple and get better.
Not every player at low stakes is a beginner. So, you will still face stiff competition even at low stakes. Be prepared for some difficult decisions.
People Talk about Position. What Does That Mean?
When you are a true beginner, you will have a relatively narrow range of hands you can call or raise the big blind with before the flop. The range narrows when you are in early position. To simplify, look at it this way. As the number of players who will have to decide what to do after you increases, the chances that a call or raise from you will get competition is higher than if you are in late position.
A player in late position, after all others have folded before him, might “steal” the blinds with a raise with a poor hand. This will likely not work if you try the same trick in early position.
So, be fully aware of the position you and all other players are in at all times.
Pay Attention at All Times
Texas Hold’em is a dynamic game that looks simple but is very complex. Everyone who stays in a hand sees five cards. Only two cards are hidden. These two cards represent everything that is difficult and complex in Hold’em.
It is super important to stay aware of everything that goes on around the table on every hand. You should fold at least 70% of all hands you are dealt when you are neither the big or small blind. A lot of new players have the tendency to “take hands off” and wander mentally or physically.
A new player cannot give herself that luxury. Always pay attention.
Paying Attention Means Using Your Imagination, Too
Obviously, paying attention also means looking attentively at every decision. Buit you also need to use your imagination. Remember that those two hidden cards carry tremendous weight. What could the player possibly have to be staying in the hand?
Is he or she bluffing?
When we have to decide whether to call or raise a bet or to fold, we will have to learn to count outs. It is a great exercise in poker understanding to count other players’ outs. This requires excellent imagination.
Bluffing is the Hardest Part of Texas Hold’em
This is super important. There is a bluff on almost every hand. A player might have, let’s say, queen-8. He might bet as if he has a pair of aces. This is a bluff. How do you know that it’s a bluff?
Well, you don’t! That is why the artful bluff is such a strong strategy play. As a beginner, you will probably not make any artful bluffs for a while, but an opponent might. That’s one of the big lessons that paying attention to every hand teaches.
You Have to Study People
Great books are based on exciting action and believable characters. To read top literature is a great way to study people for Texas Hold’em and for life in general. You might also people watch but that could become creepy so be careful if you decide to watch people outdoors.
Keep in mind that even in a great novel, people are not finished products. You will always have to re-evaluate previous conclusions. The people playing poker with you are certainly not finished products. So, be prudent as you come to conclusions about them.
Even New Players Get Really Good Cards Sometimes
Players with limited experience often bet wildly when they get a great hand. Aces or kings on the deal are two such hands. It takes a lot of discipline to be able to play aggressively and to make the others think that you are not playing aggressively.
Let’s look at aces or kings in early position. These are hands that you raise the big blind with. But how much do you raise? How quickly do you raise? Let’s say that you raise twice in the big blind. This might be a very aggressive bet. But if you make the bet very quickly, everyone will think that you have a powerful hand. That will likely lead to folds along the way.
You want to milk the pot in order to win the most from it. Of course, aces or kings are no guarantee that you will win the pot, but they are still top hands before the flop. So, bet less than twice the big blind. Take a little time to make your decision, even if it is the easiest decision you have had to make in a long time.
The Flop Comes Out
If the flop helps you, great! But if the flop does not help you, and another player bets, you need to imagine what they are betting with. What did they have that encouraged them to stay in the hand?
A lot of players, even experienced players, will stay in a hand after the flop. There might not be a good reason to do so. The worst reason to stay in a pot is that you don’t want to be bluffed. We have news for you: you will get bluffed out of pots more often than you like. If you aren’t bluffed out of pots, then you will become known as a calling machine and you will lose a lot of money.
What Should You Do if a Player Goes All In?
The first thing to do is to think. Go over that player’s bets on all streets. Did he or she telegraph strength? Are they trying to bluff you out of the hand? Do you think that your hand is better than their hand?
Never rush your decision. All in can be a costly decision, so be slow and prudent as you decide what to do. There is no shame in folding a good hand if you are convinced that it is not the best hand.
Sometimes you might fold a hand even if you think that it is the best hand. Here is where poker math comes in. Even if you do not like making mathematical calculations in your head, you will have to learn some basic poker math.
At first, it is always best to count outs. This is always the first step in making a decision based on the odds and the math. So, always count outs. Count outs even in hands that you have already folded out of.
Juicy Stakes Has Players of All Skill Levels
When you start out, you may be the weakest player in the game or you may not be the weakest player. At low stakes, you will meet players who just love poker and never raise their game above low stakes.
Keeping Texas Hold’em simple is very important for beginners. Even seasoned pros always return to basics because at its core Texas Hold’em is about knowing when to hold ‘em and knowing when to fold ‘em.
