Gamble like the pros
Poker is a game of chance – but one that can be learnt. If you want to be consistently successful at the poker table, you need the right strategy. We'll show you how it's done.
Do you always get thrown out of the poker table at the beginning? Do your opponents always have better luck than you? This can be changed, but it's hard work.
Many of the following tips apply to all types of poker. However, because there are hundreds of variants, some are limited to the most popular by far: Texas Hold'em.
The Texas Hold'em rules
No other form of poker is as popular as Texas Hold'em. In this game, each player is dealt two cards face down at the beginning of the round. Over three steps, five community cards are placed in the middle of the table for all players to see. Players aim to form the best possible hand by combining their two starting cards with the five community cards. A player may use any combination of three, four, or five of the community cards to make their hand.
If multiple players are still in the game after the final betting round, the player closest to the dealer is required to reveal their cards first. The winner is the player who holds the highest-ranking poker hand at the end of the round.
The correct term
In Texas Hold'em, two players must always pay a mandatory bet called the blind. The player to the dealer's left posts the small blind, while the next player posts the big blind. The big blind is always twice the amount of the small blind. The exact stakes depend on the tournament, but one thing is certain: after a predetermined period of time, the blinds will inevitably increase.
To make a good impression at the table, you should know the following expressions off by heart:
Check = you stay in the game, but don't bet.
Bet = you are the first to place a bet.
Call = you call and also pay the bet.
Raise = you increase the bet.
Fold = you pass and discard your cards.
In Texas Hold'em, most tournaments are played in No Limit. This means that you can push all of your chips into the middle at any time, as long as you are still in the game and it's your turn. Otherwise, there are only two rules for betting: firstly, your bet must be at least the value of the big blind, and secondly, it must be at least as high as the last bet paid into the pot.
Psychological aspects
Who hasn't heard of the proverbial poker face? That inscrutable face that instills a bit of fear, underlines the skill of the actor and does not reveal any information about his cards. Amateurs consider the poker face to be the crowning glory of poker, the ultimate tool for victory.
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Strong starting hands
All beginners make the same mistake: they play far too many starting hands. If there are eight to ten players at the table, you are definitely doing something wrong if you're involved in more than one in five rounds. In tournaments, pros often only play every tenth hand. As a rule of thumb, the weaker your game, the better your starting hand needs to be. As a beginner, you should only play with first-class starting cards.
All playable starting hands can be divided into five groups:
1. High Pairs
A pair of jacks, queens, kings, or aces is an excellent starting hand. You should never give up a pair like this before the flop. In particular, with a pair of kings or two aces, you should call all the way to the all-in if necessary.
2. Medium and Small Pairs
If you have two tens or less, you need to be careful, because this pair will probably not win in the end if no favourable community cards follow. If several players put in a bet, you should stay with it as long as the stakes don't get astronomical. The fewer players at the table and the higher their stakes, the sooner you should give up your pair.
3. Two High Cards of Different Suits
If you have two high cards of different suits in your hand, you can try them. But you don't have to. Only an ace and a king or an ace and a queen should almost always be played. Otherwise, adapt to your current situation in the game and don't pay too high a price.
4. Consecutive Cards of the Same Suit
This group includes all hands in which two cards follow each other and are of the same suit, for example, the eight and nine of hearts. Those who enter the fray with these cards are hoping for a flush or a straight. Such a stroke of luck is rare, but it does have one major advantage: either your opponents are not expecting it, or they know the risk they are taking but are willing to accept it. Only try this hand if you can see the flop coming cheaply.
5. A High Card and a Low Card of the Same Suit
You are also in a dilemma with an ace and, for example, a three. This starting hand is too good to throw away and too bad to keep. It gets even worse if you hit the ace on the flop. Then you have a great pair, but a pretty bad kicker. Besides, any other player with an ace will most likely be in on the action as well. So, for this fifth group, what applies to all other starting cards that haven’t been discussed applies: put them aside with style.
The right position
When playing poker, your position at the table is crucial. Since poker is played in a clockwise direction, being the last to act gives you a significant advantage. This allows you to observe the decisions of the players in front of you and make a fairly precise cost-benefit calculation (see next chapter).
At a table with ten players, the first three positions to the left of the dealer are referred to as early position, the next five players are in middle position, and the last two players are in late position. As a general rule, the earlier you act, the better your hand must be.
Playing Strategies
Not every playing style is successful in the long run. A loose participant plays a lot of hands, whereas a tight player only plays the strongest cards. An aggressive player will raise the stakes relatively often, whereas a passive player will only do so when he has a very good chance of winning.
If you analyse the world's best poker players, you will quickly see that they follow a tight-aggressive strategy. However, a professional will always play unpredictably and will sometimes try a slightly worse starting hand. He remains cautious, but doesn't just play the very best cards.
A question of strategy
The main strategic difference between tournaments and cash games is that probability calculations are much more important in cash games. In tournaments, survival becomes just as critical as the statistical chances of winning a hand.
In a cash game, however, this strategic concern is eliminated because each hand is only worth the money currently in the middle of the table. If the ratio of winning chances to potential winnings is favourable, the hand should definitely be played. And, if you're unlucky and end up without chips after the round, you can easily buy back in.