Basic Texas Holdem - Keeping Poker Simple!
New players often ask me for advice on how to play basic texas hold’em. I tell them that it takes time and practice to become a winning player, but there are some things you can do right now to improve your game even without a lot of knowledge or experience.
Practice Good Game Selection
The key to winning poker is playing people who aren’t as good as you. That may seem obvious, but players of all levels make mistakes in game selection all the time.
Don’t jump in with a bunch of sharks. Start off in lower level games with other beginners.
Play Tight And Solid Poker!
The biggest mistake that new players make is playing too many hands. By limiting your starting requirements to premium hands, you keep your decision making simple and avoid trouble.
Account For Position
What’s position? In simple terms – the player who acts last has position.
You put yourself at a big disadvantage when playing out of position because going first gives your opponent additional information and more options.
Position should inform your decision making on starting hands. At a 10 player table, you can play a hand like K-J suited in late position, but as a beginner you should throw it away when sitting in early position.
Don’t forget that in Texas Hold’em blinds effectively have position before the flop, but are out of position after the flop.
You especially want to keep this in mind when deciding whether to defend your blinds against a possible steal.
Don’t Bluff Too Much
At lower levels, you’ll make much more money by simply betting your hand. Why? Because if you’re practicing good game selection, you’ll be playing other beginners. And beginners call pretty much everything. You can’t bluff if they won’t lay down.
Don’t Slow Play Big Hands
New players always want to slow play big hands like pocket aces. Don’t do it. Raise with them almost every single time. Again, you’ll be playing against mostly loose, passive players who just want to see a free flop. You’ll extract more from them by making your opponents pay to see cards when they’re behind and weeding out the goofier hands that can hurt you if they hit the flop.
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