New Kids on the Block: The Weasel's Guide to Beginning Texas Hold 'Em

When you are just getting started playing Texas Hold 'Em it can be quite intimidating, especially if you are playing No Limit. The rapidly escalating bets that can take you from deep stack (having a lot of chips) to short stack (having very few chips) or even busting out in just one or two hands can make it difficult to get a feel for when you should call a bet and when you should not. This is particularly true if you do not distinguish the type of players you face.

For example, in our league we have examples of the following:

We have a very tight player: A tight player only plays premium hands. Usually when they raise they have a very strong hand.

We have a heavy bluffer; A heavy bluffer will frequently make huge raises with marginally strong hands or even very weak hands. These players cause a lot of fear in newer players because they are hard to understand and it is risky to play against them.

We have very loose players: Loose players will play almost any two cards and raise weaker hands than you might otherwise expect.

There are many other examples but this will get us started.

When you are starting out the first thing you should decide is if you are going to enter any given pot. There are several things to think about.

1) who is left to act behind you?
This is important because you have to decide if you want to pay more than the minimum (the blinds; prior to each deal the player to the left of the dealer pays half a minimum bet and the player to his left pays a full minimum bet. For the rest of the round bets have to be at least the amount of the second player, called the "big blind") to stay in the hand. New players tend to pay to see every flop. (when the first three cards are flipped up). However, sometimes people raise it up pre-flop. Bluffers and tight players are the most likely to do this. So if the noted bluffers and tight players are behind you and therefore yet to act then you need a stronger starting hand.

2) How do you decide what is a strong hand?
A lot of times newer players like hands because they are both face cards...for example a hand like King-Jack. However, let's say you play that and the tight player raises pre-flop. You stay in the hand. The flop comes with King, 5, 2 rainbow (rainbow means all different suits). You have a pair of Kings now and you bet it. The tight player calls you. Do you think you have the best hand at this point? Honestly...probably not. It is likely the tight player has a hand such as A/k. So you both have a pair of Kings but s/he has an Ace kicker (the kicker is the card that decides who wins a hand if both players have the same pair. The next highest card wins the hand, so a good kicker is important.) So a hand like K/J, while you can play it, is not particularly strong. What you really hope for is a flop like A/Q/10 to give you a straight as if your hand simply pairs you are likely beat.

So your hand looks good but even if it pairs it is likely still the second best hand. The same is true of lesser hands. If you get something like a 8/6 and get a pair of 6's you are likely to run into someone with a higher pair. This does not mean you should not play these hands but simply is something to think about before you enter a pot when someone behind you might raise it.

3) What type of hand is it?
- Made Hand: This is something like a pocket pair, usually considered Queens or better. If you have a pocket pair of Queens, Kings or Aces your hand is very strong and has a decent chance of remaining the best hand if few people are in the pot.

- Drawing Hand: this is a hand that will probably lose if it just pairs but has strong potential to make a straight. Common examples would be a J/10 or 6/8. These hands can make a straight pretty easily or, if suited, add the potential of a flush. If you just pair one of these, do not pay much to show it down, throw it away and wait for a better hand. But if you hit your hand you can do very well with them. Be careful if the hand you make is a flush as there are a lot of other flushes that can beat yours if you are playing a drawing hand such as this.

4) Position
This might be a bit advanced but at some point it will make more sense. The later you are to act in a hand the better off you are. This way you can see if other people are betting a hand or not. If you have the middle pair (if a flop comes K/10/5 and you pair your 10 you have the middle pair. By the same token, if you pair your 5 you have bottom pair and the king of course would give you top pair) and are last to act, if nobody ahead of you bets they might not have been helped and your 5s might be the best hand. Then you have the chance to bet them. On the other hand, if 1 person bets, a second one calls, and a third one re-raises you can assume your 5s are beaten and throw them away.