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WFP POKER RESOURCES -
So you're new to Texas Hold'em poker? Not a problem. Texas
Hold'em poker is by far the best game for a beginner to learn.
Texas Hold'em can be learned in a few minutes by anyone, and you
can be playing fairly well with a few hours practice.
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Probability in Poker
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Here is a simple trick for deciding if you should draw
or not in Texas Hold’em Poker. The first thing you need
to do is to figure out how many "outs" you have. An
"out" is any card that gives you a made hand. Simply
count the number of cards available that give the hand
you are drawing to. For example: suppose you hold AD 8D
and the flop comes QH 9D 4D. You have a possible flush
draw. There are more thirteen diamonds in the deck and
you are looking at four of them now, the two in your
hand, and the two on the community board. That leaves
nine diamonds left in the deck, and two chances to hit
one.
The trick to figuring out the approximate % chance of
getting the flush is to multiply your outs times the
number of chances to hit it. In this situation that
would be nine outs multiplied by two chances, or
eighteen. Then take that number, multiply it by times
two, and add a percentage sign. The approximate % of the
time you will make the flush is 36%. (The exact
percentage is 34.97%, pretty close heh!)
Now let's say for example that on that same flop you
hold the Jd Th. In this case you would have an open
ended straight draw with eight outs to hit the straight
(four Eights and four Kings). Eight outs with two cards
to come will give you sixteen outs. Multiply by times
two and you will hit the straight approximately 32%
(31.46% exactly) of the time.
A very important thing remember is that the % stated is
NOT the percentage of time that you will win the hand, merely
it's only the percentage of the times that you will hit the hand
you are drawing to. You may get your hand and still lose. But
still, knowing the approximate likelihood of making your hand is
a good starting step on the road to being a better poker player.
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The Importance of Position
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Texas Hold’em poker position is a term that indicates the place
of the player on the poker table. In no other game is the
player's position as important as in Texas Hold'em poker.
Basically, it is best to be in the late position, so you can see
the other player's bets and play actions. This allows you to
gather information from the other players. Some hands are better
against more players and others against fewer opponents. Seeing
what the other players are doing is a big advantage for you. The
lack of information can cost you chips.
The early position indicates players seated in the three seats
to the left of the dealer. This is the least preferred position
in the game. There are many players left to act, so you lack
information. Only play the best starting hands in these
positions.
The middle position refers to the players seated after early
position players and before late position players. This is a
good place to play small pairs against many opponents. You hope
to hit three of a kind and win a big pot. Remember, the odds are
about 8 to 1 to hit the trips, so fold if the flop doesn’t give
you trips, or a straight or flush draw.
The late positions are the dealer and the two players to his
right. This is the most preferred position in Texas Hold’em
poker. The dealer is the best position because everyone has
acted and you have the most information. If someone bets or
raises from first or middle position, then you must credit them
for a good hand and play strong hands against them. You can play
many hands in late position if no raise has played, and suited
connectors are a good hand to play against many opponents here.
Reasons why it’s better to be in late position:
The earlier your position is the larger risk you have when you
call before the flop. This is because there is a bigger chance
you will get raises from other players. If you know about the
raises, as players in late position know, you have the option
not to call, and can prevent the mistake made from early
position.
In early position players sometimes call instead of fold. Let's
say you are in early position and call $5. After you call, two
more players raise. If you had known they were going to raise
you probably would have folded and your $5 would have been
saved. The same goes for the opposite option, when you fold
instead of calling. If you would have known that no raises would
have come, then you might have played your hand.
For lower hands, you can lessen the number of unwanted bets made
if you are in the late positions. This is because if you check
first then your opponents will bet almost definitely because
they will know you have a bad hand. But if they are in early
position and they check, then you can also check their bet.
You know how many callers there are in late position. Sometimes
playing a hand is determined by the number of callers on the
table. When you are in early position you cannot know that
number. Playing Texas Hold'em poker for a long time will give
you the skill to recognize what the number of callers means to
your hand and next play action.
In late position you have more information about the other
player's starting hands, and can better decide what to do with
your hand according to the previous playing moves. If everyone
calls and no one raises, then you have the option of raising and
trying to steal others bets or just calling or checking to get
another card to better your hand.
Texas Hold’em poker position is most important for higher stake
games. If you are playing games with no-limit or a large limit
such as $100, the importance of the position is larger because
every raise and bet is a lot of money. It is better to be in a
later position in Texas Hold'em poker, but more important is to
know the advantages of a later position, so you can utilize the
position better. Remember, the later the position, the more
information that you have and can use. If you ignore the
information, then you will lose over the course of time.
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