Win Poker Strategy

We have all been on the table when someone constantly raises on every hand and continues to take down pot after pot in a Texas Holdem Poker cash game. They look for weakness and when they see it or suspect it, they go for blood on every hand. The only way to beat this type of a player is to play the same game that they do and earn your half of the table.

The first way to do this is by taking the lead in a hand. If you raise a pot, stick with the betting and show them that you are not afraid to fire chips into the pot. If you are playing tight, this should be enough to get them to back off of the hands that you are in. Make the continuation bet, but also fire on the turn as though you have a hand. Even the most aggressive of players will step back when a tight player continues to fire on the turn of a hand that they have raised on.

Another move that you can make against an aggressive opponent is by calling down the pre flop raise and the flop bet and then fire away on the turn. The board is really of no consequence when playing against an aggressive player as they will play just about any two cards. This is more of a feel move that you have to make based on when you think they are truly weak. If nothing more than a value bet was placed on the flop, it could be a green light to make your move.

This is something that you are going to have to be committed to from the very start and regardless of what the turn brings, you fire away like you just made a set. If the board was on a flush or straight draw and you are isolated, it actually works in your favor as tight players will usually only bet when they have it and firing right away gives the impression that you have made your hand and could care less what they are holding.

An aggressive player can be a nightmare unless you can tame them. You are going to be out of position against them half the time and if you show them that you can be walked over, they will do it every chance that they get. In order to keep your stack, you are going to have to fight fire with fire and get them to back off when you are in hands or you are doing nothing more than making a donation to their kid’s college fund.

There you are, sitting in the texas holdem poker tournament as a short stack with the increasing blinds being your enemy. In order to survive and wind up further in the tourney, you have only one option…lingering. When mixed in with a little luck, the following suggestions can help you survive linger mode and rebuild to a contending chip stack.

Make a late position push

So the blinds just passed you buy, and you got bullied worse than a ginger kid in a schoolyard. This is the ideal time to make a push. If all hands before you are folded and you are sitting in late position with a marginal-to-solid hand, then this is an opportune time to go over the top. The odds are very likely that the remaining players will not wake up with a legitimate hand to call an all in. Blinds are officially stolen, and you have just increased your chip stack dramatically without sweating the board. Also, if there is a call on your late position all-in, then you are almost sure to be entering the flop as a 60/40 underdog. Hey, life sucks as a short stack, and a 40/60 isolation is a great option for you at this time.

Isolate against the aggressive player

The best thing to do in any tournament is to study the table and recognize tendencies. Attempt to figure out who is playing tight versus aggressive. The information you gather early on is what could save you if or when you become the short stack. The ideal victim to exploit as a short stack is the overly aggressive guy. Most tables have this type of player, where they like to raise preflop in order to steal some blinds. If you wind up with hole cards that should be two lives, for example suited connectors, then this would be a great time to do a little gambling. The price gives you the best option in getting back in the tournament, where you will be isolated against a loose cannon and able to add in the blinds if you win the hand.

Don’t get cute

Being cute may work for a girl who wants free drinks, but you’re the short stack. There is nothing cute in your position, so now isn’t the time to attempt anything. If you get a solid hand, then push. You are the short stack, and the table is hovering over you like vultures. Chances are you will be getting called in an ideal situation, as a favorite. By getting cute and disguising your hand, you are risking hands coming into the pot that generally should not be involved. Too many hands will turn your favorite into another marginal hand. Isolate with the push and hope that it holds up.

According to the Top 10 best starting hands for Texas Holdem Poker there are of course the worst starting hands.

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If you count every possible combination, you will find out that there are 169 possible starting hands.

If you have one the following starting hands, you should fold instantly, as long as you aren’t the big blind and nobody raised the pot pre-flop:

169th best starting hand (or Number 1 worst starting hand) 2 – 7 (offsuit)

The worst combination in Texas Hold’em Poker. What good options do you have? There is no way to get a flush or straight draw. And even with a pair of 7s and/or a pair of 2s you will surley not have the best hand to win the pot.

168th best starting hand (or Number 2 worst starting hand) 2 – 8 (offsuit)

This is only at a better position because 8 is slightly better than a 7.
You should consider going home if you get such hands.

167th best starting hand (or Number 3 worst starting hand) 3 – 8 (offsuit)

You shouldn’t expect to win with this hand.
You should consider playing another card game if you get such hands.

166th best starting hand (or Number 4 worst starting hand) 2 – 9 (offsuit)

Not even worth a bluff.
Don’t you even think about it.
Better consider ordering something to drink.

165th best starting hand (or Number 5 worst starting hand) 2 – 6 (offsuit)

Fold cards, wait for a better hand. Or leave the table.
Don’t even think about betting.

Whatever you would like to do: Don’t bet on these hands – be responsible

So you are standing here (or sitting). Dealer already dealt the cards and you are given your hand.

As a good Texas Hold’em Poker Player you should learn to know, which hands you should play and which hands you should fold. With bluffing etc. you can win any hand, but some hands win more frequently and if you stick to these hands, you should get better results in the long run.

So here are the Top 10 Best Starting Hands in Texas Hold’em Poker

1. Ace-Ace

A pair of aces (also known as pocket rockets) is the best starting hand you can ever get for Texas Hold’em Poker.

2. King-King

“King Kong” (or the two cowboys) is the second best starting hand for Texas Hold’em poker.

3. Queen-Queen

The “ladies” are the third best starting hand for Texas Hold’em Poker. So now you know the top three starting hands for Texas Hold’em poker.

4. Ace-King (suited)

The fourth best pick is a suited ace-king hand (often called “big slick”). Some people wouldn’t pick it for fourth place but a lot of players agree that this is fourth best starting hand for Texas Hold’em Poker.

5. Ace-Queen (suited)

The “big chick” (or “little slick”) is a combination of ace and queen in the same suit. It is the fifth best starting hand for Texas Hold’em poker.
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6. Jack-Jack

The “fishhooks”, a pair of jacks, is the sixth best starting hand for Texas Hold’em Poker.

7. King-Queen (suited)

The king and the queen in the same suit is known as seventh best starting hand for Texas Hold’em Poker by poker players from around the world.

8. Ace-Jack (suited)

In Black Jack you would shout hooray and this would be the best starting hand for Black Jack. For Texas Hold’em poker it is the eigth best starting hand.

9. Ace-King (offsuit)

You surely wonder about an offsuit hand in the top 10 best starting hands for Texas Holdem poker. Well, this is the only hand that could hardly made it onto position 9 of the best starting hands for Texas Holdem poker.

10. Ten-Ten

What would be Number ten without Tens? A pair of tens is always a good hand you should get along with. Texas Holdem players often call them “dimes” and they are number 10 in the top 10 best starting hands for Texas Holdem poker.

What if your hand is not listed above?

Well, as a beginner in Texas Holdem Poker, you should always stick to this top 10 list with best starting hands for Texas Holdem Poker. Use these poker strategy to gain all the times. But as you continue to gain some experience you can expand and experiment with other starting hands. May be bluffing comes into game.

But whatever you do, you should never forget that you could lose money when entering pots with weak hands. Please don’t forget to play responsible!

You might have read carefully our category about learning poker. And you might have read that you need to be able to read your opponents to become a great Texas Hold’em Poker Player.

But along with this, there come some more basic strategies and rules for your game:

Basics

You may skip through the words as you will find them silly, but it is surprisingly often that players forget the basics:

The two cards you hold are the only cards that set you apart from the other players. Those are the ones that give you the chance to win! All of the face-up cards are community cards. They are shared by you and your opponents. It’s good to think what these cards mean to you, but don’t forget to keep your eyes open for your opponents’ straight and flush possibilities.

Pre-Flop – Evaluating your cards

As a true follower of this website, you know when to count your starting hand a Top Starting Hand for Texas Holdem Poker or a Worse Starting Hand. And you might have one thing in mind: Try to be emotionless, maybe play around with your chips to show that you might want to make bet.

If your hand is not a top starting hand – fold. If you are an aggressive player, you might want to stay in with 7 and 8 of the same suit (because there is a change to a straight and/or flush).

If the big blind is low enough, it may be worth to pay in to just see the flop – even if you don’t have a strong hand. But this also could lead you into trouble.

You might have to suffer through a series of very poor hands.

But the good hands will come and you would be in a better postion to take advantage of it, if you don’t waste your chips trying to get something out of nothing.

The Flop

After seeing the flop, you shouldn’t be afraid to cut losses. Lots of beginners and novices decide to play it out because the are already in. Don’t be that foolish – fold if the flop does not contain the cards you need.

When there are seven or more players at a table, two pair or better will have a chance to be the winning hand. If you don’t have the high pair after the flop – for example:

and you are not in a good position for a straight or a flush, fold.

If the number of players go down, there will be a chance to even win with High Card (because the potential of a strong hand goes down as well). And when you are left with two players, you could try to play a little more aggressive.

The Flop and Betting

Maybe you are first to bet after the flop. You shouldn’t be afraid to check. This must not be a disadvantage, it can also be a very good thing: If your hand is weak, you might be able to see one more card without putting more into the pot and on the weak side, you might be able to see one more card without having to put more into the pot. If your hand is strong, you could convince an opponent or two that it’s weaker than it really is (and can raise anyway).

Turn and River

With the fourth and the fifth community card you get the chance to either fold before you lose more money or to increase your winnings.

At this point, there are often only one or two players left in the fight for the pot. Best advice: Be cautions.

After turn don’t stay in the pot hoping for a straight or flush unless you can do so on a check (and do not have to put more chips into the pot). And don’t be angry if you folded and the next card would fullfill your straight or flush – there are numbers of times when you would have lost!

The most important thing here is to not get too far in with a weak hand.

On the other side you might already be in too deep. If so, consider the percentage of chips that are in the pot. If you already invest 40% of your chips to the pot, who cares about 5% more? But you are travelling in a grey area and should be cautious though. Never forget to be responsible….