Beginning Poker Tips

So you've caught the poker bug, huh? People all over the world have, and with limitations being placed on online gambling sites, more and more people are leaning toward regular home games to fulfill their Texas Hold 'Em fix. The problem is, not many people know the basic tenets of Texas Hold' Em strategy. In this article, we'll cover some of the more common mistakes new players make, and provide some fundamental tips that will help you from ending up on the rail long before you finish in the money.


Common Poker Mistake #1 - Cards down, boot up.

Novice players are easy to spot. Just look for the dum-dums calling bets off to the river and getting nickel-and-dimed into bankruptcy. I love seeing those guys at the table...they may as well be putting their money right into my pocket. Those with little experience play medium and weak hands WAY too liberally, and even if they have decent cards they either overbet or slowplay to the river. Do yourself a favor...log on to a free poker Website and play one hundred hands. Keep a tally of how many times you take down a pot and divide that into 100. In your next 100 hands, only play these starting hands: AA, AK, AQ, AJ, A10, KK, KQ, KJ, K10, QQ, QJ, Q10, JJ, J10 and 10/10. Keep a tally of how many times you take down a pot and divide that into 100. Chances are, you'll be winning about four times as often simply using these 15 major starting hands. Of course, more experienced players can play any cards depending on the circumstances, but I'm pretty sure the headline reads "Beginning Poker Tips," not "Doyle Brunson's Super System."

Common Poker Mistake #2 - The Rookie Bluff

So you've seen a cool movie where a level-headed protagonist outdoes an evil-doer card-shark at the felt and thought, "I wanna do that!" Hell, we all have put ourselves in that position. But ask yourself one question before you go all in on your unsuited numbers...do you actually know when to bluff? There are a few dozen situations in poker when more experienced players will rely on the bluff to swing the momentum their way, and an equal amount of bluffing techniques that players can use in particularly tough spots. If you don't understand why it's a bad play to bluff someone on a short stack with four people calling to the river while you're out of position, then don't pretend to know how to make that bluff and get caught pushing in like a fish.

Common Poker Mistake #3 - Playing Weak Hands in Early Position

I just mentioned player position above, and here's what I mean. Let's say you're in a game with eight other players, and you're first to bet before the flop with As 7h. You think your ace might be good, but aren't sure, so you call the blinds and reraise twice the size of the pot. Immediately, the odds are stacked against you. There are now seven players following you who know your hand is weak because of your half-hearted attempt at staying in the pot. Anyone with a medium pair, suited connectors or a stay-card and high kicker would be quick to reraise you. Even if your Ace is still high, that unsuited seven kicker won't look too hot anymore if two people call you to the flop and there's a reraise on the board -- and since you've just been scared off by the heavy action, you've given up your raise -- the equivalent of a big and small blind later on. Players in early position must play tighter. Only when when you have late position can you afford to play weaker hands because you've then gathered information from all the other player's actions.

Common Poker Mistake #4 - Not Knowing Pot Odds or Catch Percentages (i.e. Welcome to math class, dunderhead)

Need help to make your hand? How much help? Knowing the pot odds will help you get out of risky draws, allowing you to keep your chip stack safe until you own the nuts later on.
With the small blind at $10, and your $20 reraise on the button met by the small and big blinds, there's $120 in the pot and you have Kc 10c in the hole. The board kicks out Jc Ad 3c. You've already got four cards to the flush and four to the straight. Since there are 4 clubs out, the 9 clubs in the deck can help you make your flush. In addition, four queens are available that can help you make your straight. Since one of the four Queens has already been counted in your outs for the flush, there are 12 cards in the deck that can help you make your hand. And remember, since your opponents cards are unknown, they don't detract from your chances of pulling one of those 12 cards on the flop or river. Since you have two cards in your hand, and there are three upcards on the table, 5 cards (whose values are all known) can be mathematically eliminated from the deck. So, from a 52-card deck, you know the value of 5 cards. (52-5=47). That means you have 12 out of 47 chances to make your hand (roughly 25%). If the next raise is equal to or less than 25% of the total pot after people bet in ($120 pot + $20 bets from each blind before you = $160 -- less the $40 you've put in already before you match the new raise (=$120) --; your $20 call makes your pot odds 1:6. Would you be willing to make six times your $20 call 25% of the time? Statistically, you will earn six times the amount of your call by winning the hand 1 out of every 4 plays...and that's great for your wallet.

Reasoning: Let's say you lose the hand 75% of the time, or 3 out of 4 times. That means you lost $60 calling that $20 bet three times. Now the statistical fourth time comes your way. You make the $20 call and -- assuming no one bets again on the flop or river to make the math easier -- you've just won a $180 pot (less the $60 you've contributed) giving you a $120 profit (six times the amount of your $20 "investment." So over the course of four hands, you're ahead $60. That's pot odds.

Pot odds can help you decide if you should call to see the next card on the board. It's hard to grasp at first, but the more you play, the quicker the math will come, and the fatter your wallet will get. Remember, the best players are the ones that don't get too attached to a hand, and can lay their cards down if the situation is unfavorable. You can't lose money you don't bet.

These are just some basic tips from a casual weekend player to help your game and to separate you from the monkeys. Good luck, and check for more installments of poker advice in the future.