Texas Holdem Strategy
All About Texas Holdem Strategy and Texas Hold'em Tactics
Texas holdem is a magnificent game. The game itself is easy to
learn, especially if you have experience playing other varieties of poker or other card games. Unlike chess, the number of options during your "turn" in a Texas hold'em game are limited. You can check, call, bet, raise, or fold. Those are the only five options to choose from. But in spite of the simplicity of the gameplay itself, Texas holdem strategy is a rich and multilayered subject. Knowing when to make one of those five choices when it's your turn is the core of Texas hold'em strategy, and sometimes multiple choices are correct in a given situation.
One Texas hold'em strategy that many players don't use is goal setting. One of the first aspects to learn is the difference between Texas holdem strategy andTexas holdem tactics. Strategy is big picture stuff. Strategy involves the big plan, things like getting enough rest before the big tournament, setting a goal for how much you want to win, keeping a poker journal to track your results as a player, etc. Strategy also includes developing your skills as a player. Learning the math that affects your play is a strategic consideration. (The math includes concepts like pot odds, counting outs, tight aggressive play, etc.) Learning to pick up on poker tells is another strategic consideration. Tactics involves the decisions behind specific plays at the table. Folding a weak starting hand in early position is a tactical decision. Raising with a pair of aces as your starting hand in late position is another Texas holdem tactic. Our site covers Texas holdem strategy and Texas holdem tactics, but we suggest that you begin with a few strategic decisions:
- Set goals. Your goal might be to win the World Series of Poker main event three years from now. It might be to win $12/hour playing $3/$6 in an online Texas hold'em game at your favorite cardroom. Whatever goals you set for yourself as a Texas holdem player, you should make them specific, measurable, and achievable. You should write your goals down and set deadlines for when you achieve them.
- Play at your best. This means not playing when you're too tired to think straight. It means not playing when you're drunk. Playing at your best shows respect for yourself and respect for the game itself.
- Keep a Texas holdem journal. Record when and where you play Texas holdem in your journal. Record what limits you played, and what your opponents were like. Include how you felt while you were playing. Keep a record of how much you win or lose. Eventually, when you've recorded enough data in your Texas holdem journal, you'll be able to spot trends which will enable you to make strategic decisions like where to play, what stakes to play for, and which opponents to avoid.
This Texas holdem strategy site is intended for players who want to win at Texas hold'em. Much of the information here is aimed at beginners. Our content starts with basics like how to play Texas hold'em, Texas holdem rules, starting hand strategies, and other basic considerations. But some of the content here will be useful for intermediate and advanced Texas holdem players as well. Even good poker players can occasionally use a refresher on some of the basics. This site is meant to be a resource for all levels of Texas holdem poker players.
This Texas hold'em strategy site is meant to help you win (or at least break even) at any variety of Texas holdem, including limit holdem, no limit holdem, sitngo holdem tournaments, and multitable holdem tournaments. Some of the Texas holdem strategies on this site will apply only in a limit holdem game, while others focus specifically on no limit Texas hold'em strategies. But other Texas hold'em strategy articles on this site will apply in almost all Texas holdem situations. Our goal is to be the most complete Texas holdem strategy resource on the Internet, which means covering all of the various situations that might come up at the table.
A diligent Texas holdem student should be able to at least break even (at least in small stakes Texas holdem games) with a month's practice or so. If you're smarter than most, you might be able to play at break even sooner than that. Some Texas hold'em theorists say that having a good starting hand strategy is enough to break even. And starting hand strategy is relatively easy to learn. But we encourage you to set your goals a little higher. Set a goal to be a consistent winner, not just a break even player.
Most Texas hold'em players play badly. They play too many hands, and they take too many marginal hands too far into the game. These players give you the opportunity to profit. If everyone at the table played Texas holdem perfectly, or with equal skill, then everyone at the table would break even. Except for when the rake is taken into consideration.
At a full (8-10 player) Texas holdem table, only 2 or 3 people are winning money. You can expect to be one of those 2 or 3 players if you study and work hard. If you wind up, by some chance, at a table with more good players than 2 or 3, we recommend finding a better table at which to play. There are plenty of juicy Texas holdem games at which to play, and, while playing with other excellent players might be good for your ego, winning money consistently is better for your ego and your pocketbook.
Your goal can and should be to be one of those winning holdem players. A tight aggressive approach to Texas holdem, along with attentive and thoughtful play, can go a long way toward making you a winning player. In the short term, luck matters in Texas holdem, and even if you play perfectly, you might lose money. But in the long run, if you make correct decisions consistently, hand-in and hand-out, you should eventually be a winning Texas holdem player.
Becoming a winning Texas holdem player begins with studying Texas hold'em strategy. Poker players aren't born understanding concepts like pot odds, bluffing, semi-bluffing, slow-playing, and counting outs. These are concepts and skills that require a little bit of study to understand and utilize. We hope that you'll find this site to be an indispensible resource in your studies of Texas holdem strategy.
Texas Holdem Strategy will launch in full on January 24, 2010. Until then, you can find more websites about Texas holdem strategy in the following places: