Texas Holdem Poker Strategy & Tips

Pocket Cards

1. ‘Premium’ pairs. High pairs from Aces to Queens are excellent starting hand in any form of poker. They give you the best percentage chance of winning the hand. Even if the ‘community cards’ don't help, you can still win with the highest pair.

2. High pairs: Jacks and Tens are also very good starting hands in poker, but are more likely to be beaten when the other players see the flop, as there are more over cards for your opponents to hit.

3. Middle pairs. 6s through to 9s. They have very little strength (though they gain in strength when playing against few players). They generally need to hit the flop to become strong hands. If you have a pair of 7s, and a 7 appears on the flop, you will have made three of a kind, or ‘a set’. If it is not expensive, try and see the flop. If you fail to hit a set on the flop, or other players are betting aggressively, you should find your weaker poker hand easy to throw away.

4. High Cards. A useful starting hand, but their strength will be dependant on the size of bets from other players around the table, coupled with the number of players you are against. Ace King, or ‘big slick’ is the strongest unpaired starting hand in poker. The table below will show you the relative strength of these poker hands. The chances are that if you hit a pair on the flop, you will have the best pair, with a good kicker. Suited high cards can be good hands, as the chances of hitting a flush on the flop increase.

5. Suited cards. Many poker players, less experienced online poker players being a major culprit, overplay suited cards. Be very careful with them if the betting is strong, as the odds of hitting a flush on the flop are still not favourable against other starting hands. Make a decision on your betting, taking into consideration the following: whether the suited cards are also ‘connected’ i.e. 8 and 9 of Hearts – as this brings in the possibility of hitting a straight; the higher the value of the cards better i.e, Ace 10 suited also gives you the chance of hitting a strong pair; how many players are left in the poker hand, and how strongly your opponents are betting. If there are a lot of players betting, or a raise before you have a chance to bet, this will give you information that your hand may not be as strong as you hoped. With strong betting before you, an Ace or a King suited, coupled with only a small card should be thrown away, or at least treated with extreme caution. Always remember in online and offline poker, there is always the next hand in the tournament, and saving chips you are likely to lose is just as valuable as winning.

After The Flop

1. Depending on the level of betting, try to stay in poker pots that give you a good possibility of ‘making’ or ‘drawing’ your poker hand i.e. if you have a four-card flush or four-card straight, which only needs one more card to become one of the higher ranking poker hands. However, if the betting gets very strong, think over the likelihood of your hand improving when another player may have a stronger starting hand. Committing a large amount of your chips to draw a flush is still odds against your card coming. Take your time to think when asked to make this choice.  

2. If you don't have a drawing hand and hit no pairs after the flop, fold. There is always the next hand!

3. If the flop goes against your high pairs i.e. there is a good likelihood of a flush or straight, never be afraid to fold. Your poker chips can disappear very quickly staying in a hand too long with an average, eminently beatable hand. Many online poker players, new to the game, get too involved with mediocre starting hands and then get tempted by an average flop. This is a Cardinal Sin of poker and you will see your chips vanish very quickly. Always think of what other players in the poker tournament or cash game may have and watch their betting patterns, so you can make as informed a choice as possible about risking your precious poker chips.

4. When you hit a flush or straight, be aware of the possibilities of other players having the same poker hand, but higher. If there is heavy betting, it is probable that someone else has hit the flop as well i.e. if the board shows 6, 7, 8, 9 and you have a 4, you have a good straight but can be beaten by someone holding a 10. Similarly, if you hit a Queen-high flush, there maybe Ace high and King high still in play. Poker is often an unforgiving game, so take your time and look for as many clues as you can to make a ‘tell’ on what hand your opponents may have.

Play position

Your position around the poker table is of vital importance and you should always be concentrating on where the dealer chip is and thinking of what effect that will have on the starting strength of your hand. Your position in the betting cycle can give you valuable information about other player’s hands. In a 10-player poker tournament, with Position 1 being immediately to the left of the dealer chip, positions 1-3 are ‘early’ position, 4-6/7 are ‘middle’ position and 7/8-10 are ‘late’ position. This relates to when you are asked to bet in a round of betting. If you make a bet from ‘early’ position, there are a majority of players still to act after you, increasing the likelihood of someone having a hand and calling you. As your position improves from early to middle, there is less chance of action behind you. Late position is an excellent spot to be in – as if all players fold around to you in position 8, you only have two players to act after you. Late position is generally a good spot to bluff from, because of this reason. Therefore, it is agreed that your hand must be a high ranking starting hand in poker to warrant a raise from early position. Also, if you have a medium strength poker hand in later position, you can watch and see how much interest there is before it is your turn to make a decision on betting. This makes it easier for you to fold a mid-range hand.

Of course, the dealer chip moves every round, so your position will constantly be changing. That is why it’s very important to be constantly aware of which position you occupy. Its often easy when playing online poker to listen to music, eat, or generally be distracted. Make sure you concentrate, as one missed opportunity can change your chances in tournament play, or risk your precious money in a cash game.

Making Money

Ideally, always know what the best possible poker hand on the table is. This is called the "nuts", If there are several players still in the pot and the betting is heavy, one of them may have it. Keep your wits about you and always be aware of what other poker hands could be out there i.e if the board shows K hearts, Q diamonds, 10 spades, 8 clubs and 7 hearts, then the best possible poker hand is a high straight Ace, K, Q, J, 10, if you have Ace, J, you have it and should play aggressively, if you have J, 9, it is still very strong, but be more careful.

If you have the best hand, try to maximise the amount of chips you can win with this unbeatable hand. Think of what bets are callable by your opponents – it’s often easy to put all your chips in when playing online poker, or in a live event, as a show of strength (and this is sometimes a good move). However, the main aim of poker is to make the most of your hand when you know you are winning. This will improve your chances in an online tournament and lead to your bankroll increasing if you maximize every winning hand you have. Betting too strongly could give them the opportunity to fold. Take your time thinking what level this bet should be – as you want your opponents to call!

These are the commonly accepted Top 10 Pocket cards in Texas Holdem Poker:

1. AA

2. KK

3. QQ

4. JJ

5. AK suited

6. TT

7. AK off suit

8. AQ suited

9. KQ suited

10. AJ suited