Aces Up by John Reeves (book suggestions TXT) 📕

are several players in on the flop and you do not hit.
* Do not make a (expensive!) habit of betting this type of hand against a flop with face cards and several opponents.
* Do not draw to overcards unless the pot gives excellent odds and the board looks favorable (no straight or flush possibilities on the turn).
* Often times, when you hit one of your overcards on the turn, this card will give someone else two-pair or better. For example, if you hold KQ and the flop comes 10-8-4, a K on the turn gives KT, K8 and K4 two-pair. If a Q hits it could make someone holding a J9 a straight or players holding QT, Q8 and Q4 a two-pair.

Very strong hands on the flop (set, flush, straight and full house)

The most common way to play in this situation is slow-playing. This means that you will check-and-call if someone bets and then raise/re-raise on a later turn when the bets are doubled. If there are a lot of draws on the board for someone to make a better hand, then you need to raise and gain as many bets as possible while you still have the best hand.

Very strong hand: Set (You hold a pocket-pair)

* When there are flush draws on the flop, bet/raise in order to make your opponents pay for attempting to outdraw you.
* When there are straight draws on the flop, again bet/ raise for the aforementioned reason.
* When the flop comes with big cards and it was raised pre-flop, your opponents are likely to give you a lot of action. As well, you will gain information as to whether your set is good or not, thus saving you bets on later betting rounds.

Very strong hand: Straight

* When there are flush draws on the flop, bet/raise in order to make your opponents pay for attempting to outdraw you.
* When there are draws for bigger straights on the flop, you should again bet/raise for the reasons listed above.
* When there is a pair on the flop, someone with trips will give you a lot of action and, if your hand is the best, you can make your opponent pay to outdraw you (a full house is possible).

Very strong hand: Flush (you hold two suited cards)

* When there is a pair on the flop, someone with trips will give you a lot of action and, if your hand is the best, you can make your opponent pay to outdraw you (a full house is possible).
* If you do not have the nut flush then someone giving you action is likely to be drawing to a bigger flush and the action will dry up if a fourth suited card hits on the turn or river. Get your bets and raises in right on the flop.

Very strong hand: Full House

* When there is a pair on the board and you hold the low set. You will get plenty of action from someone holding trips. By betting and raising on the flop you make them pay for drawing to a bigger full house.
* If you hold one of the pair cards and the low-card. Again, you will get a lot of action from someone holding trips and making them pay for attempting to outdraw you.

Drawing Hands (flush draws or open-ended straight draws to the high end)

* Go for draws where you only need one card to make a flush or straight.
* Generally, you should not draw to a straight if there are two suited cards at the table, unless you get excellent pot odds. You should count two of your outs (the flush cards) as dead, so instead of having 8 outs you have 6.
* Usually avoid going for a straight or a flush if there is a pair on the table because of the potential risk of a full house. You will need better pot odds than normal to draw.

The Turn in Limit Hold'em

* As a general rule you still want to have the lead and build the pot.
* If you were betting a draw on the flop, you must use your best judgment and decide whether to fire again. Remember to always re-evaluate your hand as the play progresses.
* Do not call down big bets with a medium holding, unless you play with a habitual bluffer or a player who is quite obviously on tilt.
* You can make a steal-raise/steal-bet against tight players if you smell a semi-bluff and you have some kind of draw, but you have to wait for the moment when you have a good read on your opponent. For example, you hold KQs and the flop came 10-9-3. You called a small bet from a lone opponent and now a 6 hits, which also gives you a flush draw. If you sense weakness in your opponent, who bets again, it is appropriate to raise as a semi-bluff. You are likely to have at least 12 outs (any J or flush card) to a better hand than your opponent and possibly as many as 18 outs (if a K or Q will win the pot for you).

The River in Limit Hold'em

Now you are at the end of the hand and a common mistake is to fold or call with too many hands. If you did not make your draw, it is appropriate to fold regardless of the pot size. However, if you have a mediocre hand and the pot is substantial, you may occasionally have to make a "crying call" although it is very likely that you are beat. Once again, you must use your best judgment though sometimes there exists a fine line between folding and calling on the river. You will not be bluffing much on the end, unless you are heads-up and quite confident that your opponent was drawing and/or had a weak hand and a scare card hits. Be prepared to fold a good hand if a flush and/or straight card hits and your opponents begin to raise.


The Cadillac of Poker - No Limit Hold'em

No-Limit Texas Hold'em is most frequently played in tournaments, though it has gained a lot of ground in cash games in recent years due to the upswing in tournament play. Another reason for it's increasing popularity is that, as opposed to casinos, online poker rooms are better positioned to host these games. This is because players go broke more often and need to be replaced so the total rake gets lower. For a casino this poses a problem, whereas for an online poker room the process of getting new players to the table is smoother and faster.

No-Limit Texas Hold'em is not suitable for beginners, as the game requires and places a much higher premium on tight/aggressive play. As well, it involves considerably advanced reading skills that allow you to "play the players" rather than the cards. If you are interested in trying out No-Limit Texas Hold'em as a beginner, you should start out with low buy-in, no-limit tournaments. This is because you will risk a modest amount per playing session and will more or less be forced to learn to play a tight/aggressive style (as this style is generally preferred in tournament play).

It should be noted that there exist several playing styles capable of winning the money in No-Limit Texas Hold'em. It is quite possible that, in a good game, a great player could win money in the long run by playing every hand, but that very same player might collect about as much by playing only 15% of the hands.

Differences between Limit and No-Limit Texas Hold'em

The biggest differences between No-Limit Texas Hold'em and Limit Texas Hold'em involve position and hand value. Position is far more important in No-Limit because the decisions you make will have a greater impact on your stack. If you trap someone in No-Limit with the help of position, you can win your opponent's entire stack as compared to collecting a few extra bets in Limit. Big connectors like AK, AQ and KQ decrease in value when you play No-Limit as you are more likely to win small pots and lose big pots with these types of hands. As well, all pairs increase in value when playing No-Limit since you are able to double through your opponents when you hit a set. The big pairs, AA and KK, also increase in value when playing No-Limit as you are again presented with an opportunity to trap someone for his whole stack.

In No-Limit it is important to keep track of the amount of money you and your opponents have on the table. The variation in stack size greatly affects how the game is played. Some examples are as follows:

1. You have $500 and your opponent has $25, the blinds are $2-$4. You are sitting in the big blind with a JTs and your opponent moves all-in from first position (a position referred to as sitting under the gun). All other players fold. This is clearly a situation in which you should fold since you are most certainly the underdog and risking an additional $21 in order to win his last $25 is not a profitable play. If your opponent also has $500, then a call may be acceptable as you have a chance of winning $500 by risking another $21. The decision of whether to call or not depends on how well your opponent plays after the flop.
2. You have $1000 and your opponent also has $1000, the blinds are $2-$4. You hold QQ and make it $20 to go. Your opponent, who is acting behind you, now moves all-in with his entire $1000. You should fold unless you know your opponent does not have AA or KK. If your opponent made the same play with only $60 in front of him, you should call his all-in bet in the hopes that he does not hold AA or KK.

Psychology of Poker

Many characteristics shape a regular poker player into a sophisticated gamer. The general public of poker players plays for the pure fun of the game with its many variations; many take it into the next the level of professional competitions without all the necessary preparations included. Even though it's still "all about the game" it doesn't mean that poker isn't a serious sport which demands attention in more than simply practice and luck. In the long run, in order to become a professional poker player, you'll need more than sheer luck or hundreds of poker practice time; you'll need to be familiar with the psychology of poker and the psychology of online casino 's poker.

"Psychology of poker" sounds like a blank expression but it essentially holds the key for you to become a pro. Take a moment and remember your last poker game: Do you recall yourself analyzing your opponent's moves or more important - your moves? Have you paid awareness to your reactions as well as to others reactions? Will it help you if you do start paying attention? The answer is YES.

As a matter of fact most of the time players fail to